Against All Odds
by Saint Danielle
Summary: Izuku Midoriya was a nobody. Crushed and humiliated, he was ready to give up on his dream. But when he gets an opportunity to be all that he wished to be, he jumps at the chance, ready to make his own Fate. Against all odds, he will fight until the very end and become who he always wanted to be: The New Symbol of Peace. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1: Origin

**Hey, guys. Not an actual update but rather the REWRITTEN version of the first few chapters. I would like to thank everyone for calling me out on obvious problems.**

 **Interviner: You certainly can say so, my friend. And yeah, relationships are quite the bitch to write. And making a flipping harem seem not as much of contrived wish-fulfillment installment is even a bigger bitch. But, what can you do?**

 **Natsu Is Awesome: Yeah. Trust me, I am going to poke and pick a lot at the different tropes and parts of Harem genre. Yes, that sounds quite good. I really like this development more compared to the usual 'She loves him! He loves her! So perfect' approach. Relationships take work. And mutual one at that. Also, dude... Damn! You have some really good suggestions! I am almost jealous at the eye you have for such things. Just like your nickname suggests, you are awesome!**

 **WhatAJoke: Well, that certainly is a good way to show it then. Yeah, I agree. My biggest problem with harems is how authors (mostly, guys) write relationships as nothing more than kisses and innuendos and jealousy. I am not sure if you will like the exam _itself_. But I hope you will be pleased by what I planned overall.**

 **GirugameshPanda: Same here. That's why I like Superman and Batman so much and characters like them. I can certainly say that we are going to have more insight into Lore of BNHA-verse here. And yeah, real changes are starting in this chapter so watch out for them!**

 **Karlos1234ify: He probably will.**

 **Kyuubi-dono: That's damn right. Although I wouldn't say that this story is inspired by Spider-Man as much as it probably should be. I would reserve most of it for God Game. Also, I like the ideas behind your names though. Still working on one myself.**

 **HelL4DAluCarD: I know. I am trying to come up with something to write for it but, unfortunately, I can't get it going. It just feels like I can't come up with anything worthwhile lately. I'll try to do my best though)**

 **Arxhaelogist: Comments like yours really help me up the speed of writing, you know. I am really happy that you found the story thought-provoking. I am inspired by the Coeur Al'Aran's method of writing where he asks himself the logical questions about the world and picks certain concepts apart and presents them as deconstruction. You really should check out his RWBY stories if you are into this sort of thing. Yeah, that is going to be something to write. Keep reading~!**

 **Jiruku: A fellow Jiruku fan, huh? Though I prefer calling them "Izurou". Now THIS is something I was interested in. I really like your response and would love to discuss the reasons behind the decision in private. (To avoid spoiling anything). As for Izuku being OOC, you are right, that was my bad.** **Hopefully, this version will be an improvement.**

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 **In case you are worried about the rewrite of the early chapters delaying the plot, don't. Everything after this one is pretty much settled in stone though not completely closed to alterations.**

 **Any and all feedback on changes is appreciated.**

 **PLEASE! Read the note at the end of the chapter. IMPORTANT!**

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What makes a hero?

It was the constant question on Izuku's mind ever since he discovered that he was Quirkless. To those who were born "normal", the answer was easy. It was powers that made heroes. But, to him - who dreamed of being something he could never become if the society dictated the rules - such simple answer wasn't enough. What did heroes have that made them who they were?

If it was just powers that made heroes, then anyone could be one. No, there must have been something much deeper to it. Was it the power of will that pushed them beyond their limits and fears? Some goal known only to them? Or maybe simple desire to help people?

He always believed that he had something within him that could make him a hero. If not a Quirk, then hard work and determination would be his tools in carving his path as one of the world's finest. No matter how hard it would be, no matter how many obstacles would stand in his way, he would find a way around the fate's plans for him. Even if every single person spat on his dreams or shook their head in disapproval, he would keep on going.

But years passed, and the dream of overcoming the genetic barriers between him and his peers grew weaker and weaker with each passing day. As his training gave no significant results, he was growing more doubtful of his goals. No matter how long and thoroughly he analyzed every single hero and Quirk out there, it wouldn't do him much good if he couldn't do anything by himself. So what if he knew the maximum strength Death Arms had? So what if he knew every single move in Kamui Woods' arsenal?

None of that mattered. At the end of the day, he was still Deku, Quirkless Good for Nothing.

"Midoriya-kun, are you with me?"

His focus snapped back to reality, eyes blinking in an attempt to readjust themselves to the world around him. Old grayish white walls with numerous posters and picture frames all over them, most of them showing different students and the man with short black hair, some grey slowly paving its way throughout the years. The same man sitting at the desk right in front of him.

"S-Sorry, Takarin-san," Izuku mumbled out awkwardly, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Did he doze off during the session again? He really was making a fool of himself, wasn't he? "W-What were you saying?"

The man sighed but smiled immediately, showing neither anger nor irritation. His expression said it all. The guidance counselor was pitying him. Just like the other teachers, the man's brown eyes with square pupils were filled with the same look one would give a crippled child. Not that in the eyes of today's society, there was much difference.

In today's society, being one was no better than being handicapped.

Sounds cruel? It was. Without any doubt, it was cruel to all of them. But it didn't make this statement any less true. No matter how simple or even ridiculous some Quirks may seem, it doesn't change the fact that those born with active Alpha-Gene were one step above those who weren't. Superior physical potential alone put them levels above the 'old' generation of humanity.

Take Eraserhead for example. The man's Quirk was the ability to nullify Quirks of anyone he looked at. But what about all his physical feats?

While he operated mostly in secrecy, there was footage and photo evidence of him moving faster than a normal man could. Fighting against villains two or even three times his size. He had been through fires and explosions and survived those with fewer scars than possible.

Comic books always threw such issues off with explanations of "peak human condition" or "power of will". But that was not some comic book, it was the reality. And in real world, being just a Quirkless person already put you at disadvantage.

Strength, speed, stamina and the other physical traits of the Quirk-users were superior compared to those of the Quirkless portion of population. They had a much more potent immune system. While they could contract the same diseases, it always required longer and more thorough exposure to the virus or bacteria to become sick. Additionally, while still under some doubt and speculations, people born with Quirks were reported to recover from diseases or surgeries at a much faster rate with a bigger probability of full recovery.

Quirk users, whether their Quirks were related to it or not, were generally known to possess superior physical capabilities, albeit limited to certain degree. While not all of them exhibited the level of strength or speed comparable to those of even Deathgoro or Ingenium, people with Quirks were able to take more serious damage than Quirkless. The only exceptions to these two characteristics were cases when people's Quirks either nullified or countered the effects of the innate abilities given by the Quirks.

In short, being born Quirkless meant you were already three levels lower than those who were gifted with them. Kids could run around, throwing light explosions at each other and suffer only burns and bruises. While a Quirkless person could end up with much more serious damage. Without Quirk, you might as well be a cripple. Without it, you couldn't be a hero. Without it, you were noth-

"- a very gifted young man," Izuku shook his head, inner monologue pushed back away. He seriously needed to stop falling out of the conversation like that. One of these day, this could get him into serious trouble. "Just because you don't have a Quirk doesn't mean that there are no other ways for you to be a hero."

His words were kind and thoughtful, but at the same time they cut Izuku deeper than any insult or mockery Kacchan and his lackeys threw his way. Their words were filled with disdain and sense of superiority, things that Izuku could somewhat ignore or push back into his mind with the same negativity. But Takarin-san's words had nothing like that in them. They bore the same meaning as the man's actions towards his students: help them find their way in life.

And it only made Izuku feel worse.

They wanted to help him. To make sure that down the road, he wouldn't end up broken over his childhood dream. It was nothing new, after all. Izuku took another - more careful - look at the pictures on the walls. So many people must have come into this office, some with dreams so big and complex that they were simply unfeasible and some with no one there to guide them. And, clearly, in the counselor's eyes, Izuku was the former.

He knew who he wanted to be. But he would never be able to accomplish his dream. So why not help him now and prevent any pain and disappointment in the future? By all means, the man was doing nothing wrong.

Except for wanting Izuku to give up on his dream.

"Thank you, Takarin-san," he bowed slightly before picking up his bag. He didn't need to look to see the man's shoulder slump slightly in defeat. It was no new battle between the two. And it certainly wouldn't be the last. They had an entire year to settle this dispute after all.

"See you on Monday," the man called out as the door closed behind the young man. It was a shame to see a good kid like this one suffer through the harsh reality. It was even harder to be the one to try and show him just how impossible his dream was. While his intentions were good, he needed to understand and acknowledge his limits. Without a Quirk, he wouldn't survive a day in the field.

It was a shame, really. The kid had the heart of a true hero. More than enough times he personally saw Midoriya, weak and useless as many of his classmates labelled him, stand up to the bullies when someone was hurt. Sometimes, he arrived only to see the boy beaten to the pulp. Sometimes kids forgot just how much stronger people born with Quirks were in comparison to their peers. They didn't hold any punches and it showed so clearly.

And yet he smiled. Even as he walked away with more bruises than he deserved. Even as he heard neither thanks nor praise for what he did. Even if the very person he helped looked more embarrassed than grateful for being saved by a Quirkless kid... Despite all of this, his smile never wavered, genuinely kind and hopeful. The smile that said that, as long as he helped even one single person, he would be happy.

Ironically - and tragically, in its own way - the young man never could gather the courage to stand up for himself. He could throw himself to get beaten but never had enough spirit to talk back or confront any of his tormentors by himself. And when he tried to help him, Izuku just changed the topic, obviously not wanting to get Kacchan and his friends involved no matter how long he tried to convince him otherwise.

Bakugou Katsuki... The man couldn't help but sigh at the name of the aspiring hero. He knew that he was a good kid too. Somewhere, behind all the anger and pride, there was a boy who genuinely wanted to be a hero. But, for reasons still largely unknown, he also seemed to feel that he needed to prove himself strongest to everyone. And out of all things possible, he picked brutal force and intimidation as his means to the end.

And these two used to be friends... A lot of friendships never survived school, he quickly reminded himself bitterly. That was quite the sad truth you learn over the years of working with students. Social food chains tend to tear people apart and push them into their own cliques where you are supposed to fit the best.

It was still no less sad as he watched the two boys grow further and further apart through the years here until they turned into bully and bullied. He tried resolving the issue by inviting both sides' parents but... In the end, it never changed. While physical bullying ceased completely (the fear of getting his record marked), Bakugou never stopped verbally and emotionally assaulting Midoriya. And the green haired boy himself...

He just lived with that. As if he already accepted the current state of his life as normal and moved on.

He sighed, fingers massaging the bridge of his nose in the mixture of frustration and helplessness. For all the things he could do to help both kids, there was only so much - or rather, only so little - that he could really do. The best thing he could do right now, with both of them stubborn on doing things their way, the guidance counselor could only hope that those two would find the way to either accept his help...

Or resolve the problems on their own.

 **HVH**

Mutsufasu City... One of the Japan's biggest and most developed cities in the modern Japan. While still not a capital city, the level of sheer financial and infrastructural development in it was the reason why the school as prestigious as Yuuei was located here. With the city constantly growing and expanding, it was no surprise that a lot of people came here in search of the better life.

The day here was as bright as ever, the gentle spring air with slight notes of sakura tree blowing in his face. Several stories below, he could hear the frantic movement of traffic, some people laughing, some cursing and some just worrying about their everyday problems. In a city as big as this one, the hurry was as essential and everpresent as air. To the point they were none the wiser to what was happening right under their noses.

Or above their heads, in this case.

"I swear to God, I don't know!"

 _Yeah, didn't hear that one before..._ _  
_

Aizawa only glared at the man trying to convey the message that he wasn't buying any of it. The man was a notable information broker. Nothing major. No grand hacks or schemes or any of that sort. But he sure as hell was capable of it. And if there was anything major going on in the underground, then this man was the first if not only person to know.

"I am going to ask you one more time," the man struggled against the grip on his neck, the supply of oxygen running thin as he applied more pressure. Not enough to actually hurt him, but enough to make anyone believe he was about to kill the thug in his arms. Not that he wouldn't resort to it if the man kept pushing it. "Where is it?"

To his credit, the man didn't talk. Contrary to how media loved to portray villains, they were not absolutely cowardly and stupid. A lot of today's villains understood their rights and how to play the law to their own advantage. Many of them knew how heroes worked. With younger ones (those who were only at the start of the career), you could get away with lots of things. They were still young, some of them still idealistic and thus easy to read and manipulate.

However, he wasn't one of those.

If there was one thing the criminal world of Japan knew about Eraserhead, it was that you didn't mess with him. Many of the people whose criminal empires he took down from inside and outside often said that he was 'a villain on heroes' side'. He would play by the rules only as long as it was _required_. He would negotiate and play peacemaker. He would try to neutralize you and make sure you walked away with minimum injuries. But play the untouchable a little too long... make even one single step out of line...

And you would learn why some people feared him more than anyone else in the Top Ten. He wouldn't even try to hide the way he dealt with you. You couldn't threaten his reputation or public opinion of him. Because, for him, there was nothing but mission.

If there was one thing Aizawa knew about life, it was that you could never hide the truth forever. Sooner or later, it would find its way out and then you would face the consequences. That's why he never even tried to hide his involvement in less than graceful or noble fights against villains and crime organizations all across Japan. The public often chalked it up to unlucky incidents or extreme measures he had to take.

As far as he was concerned, his own image was as irrelevant as Endeavor's choice of underwear.

Deep down, Aizawa often wondered when was the last time he felt regret over killing another person. And the more he thought about it, the further and further he had to go down the memory path. His kill count was nowhere near Endeavor's level. But those were the lists of villains that the public knew about. He knew that he was only one or two bodies behind the flaming hero, at best.

 _No,_ he shook his head, forcefully pushing the irrelevant thought into his mind. _Focus on the mission._

He had no time to debate on something as small and unimportant as his own standing. All he wanted right now was to get whatever scraps of information his sole lead had. Even if he had to force it out of him. Having practiced the same move over thousands of times, he loosened the cloth around his neck and, with a slight tug, wrapped it around the man's neck. He could see the fear grow in the man's eyes, doubt and self-preservation chipping away at his resolve to keep silent.

He would break the moment the black dots appeared on his vision's edges. It was only a matter of time...

"Eraserhead!"

 _Damn it, not you... Not now._

He suppressed the urge to sigh in frustration. Or rather, _tried_ to and failed at it. "All Might?" He gave the hulking hero a look of acknowledgement before turning back to the broker. Ignoring the disapproving look All Might gave him, the Erasing Hero held the man out, his feet dangling helplessly in the air. Just one wrong move and he would fall. Down towards the ground until he became a bloody mess on it. That was what Aizawa wanted the man to picture.

And yet he grinned victoriously at him. It was the smile of someone who knew that, no matter what he did, he wouldn't be hurt. The kind of smile so many criminals displayed when they went on rampage only to surrender with bodies left behind but law dictating fair trial. The same wicked grin so many crime bosses gave the public as they were placed under protection of police and heroes.

The same smile that _he_ wore.

"What brings you here?"

He hoped that his tone would be enough to convey the simple message: 'Go away.'

"Aizawa," the man's eyes narrowed, voice calm but devoid of any over the top theatrics in his tone. He obviously understood what he wanted. But he wouldn't do it. "Put that man down. Now."

"Not until he tells me what I want," he retorted, eyes glowing bright red as he stared the crook down. In interrogations, one of the most crucial parts was control. As long as you were or, at least, appeared to be in complete control over the situation, you would achieve the desirable results. The important part was to not let _anyone_ take control away from you. And if someone did, just like All Might mere moments ago,...

Then you had to take it back.

"Don't!"

As the man fell down towards the streets, All Might practically flew past him, blue eyes blazing as he used his speed and reflexes to carefully capture the crook in mid-fall without causing him any damage. Landing on the solid ground for the briefest sliver of second, the top hero soon was back, his cold blue eyes now staring right into Aizawa's dispassionate black ones.

With all the care of the shark in blood bath, Aizawa grabbed the broker out of All Might'a arms and stared right into his eyes.

"Talk," the man was shaken. Terrified and on the brink of breakdown. Just one single threat would break his resolve. "Or this time I won't _let_ him save you."

 _There we go,_ Aizawa thought as he memorized all the addresses, names and details the man spilled like he was on a death row. The pace at which he was throwing out the information almost made Aizawa feel sorry for him. Almost. "Now go."

He didn't let him off out of the goodness of heart. Men like this were useful in the long run. Every once in a while, you would always find someone not unlike this man. They were smart and resourceful provided they were used properly. And now that he knew that he could be found and executed so quickly even with the top hero nearby, this man would give Aizawa any and all information he wanted. Anywhere. Anytime.

"What the hell were you thinking?" The man was finally gone and now it was only the two of them. Honestly, Aizawa would have preferred if All Might was his usual self and tried to deliver the man to a hospital or something like that. "You could have killed that man!"

"I was conducting interrogation when you barged in and ruined everything."

"How snapping someone's neck would help the investigation?"

"It wouldn't." He said, though not admitting that All Might's point was true. "If you didn't show up, he would crack. But then you came in and the guy knew you would rather fight me than have him die. So I had to resort to more drastic measures."

And he got the information they all needed.

All Might was his friend. His trusted ally and respected colleague. But sometimes he wished the top hero would just step aside and let him do the job his way. There was a reason why not everyone could be the eversmiling Symbol of Peace. It took different kinds of people to deal with different kinds of crime, after all.

"He gave me everything I wanted from him. Contact anyone you think might be necessary for the mission. When we meet at the Yuuei, I will share the information and we will discuss all the necessary adjustments to it."

He jumped off the roof and used his bandages to swing away.

"Don't be late."

 **HVH**

"I won't."

Toshinori sighed, the white steam rising from his body as he felt the strength leave him. His muscles evaporated and soon he stood on the roof alone, his frame skinny and thin. He looked at his hand and clenched it into a fist, the image of his one strong and unbreakable form coming to mind.

 _It's all my fault._

It all started with the solution.

The solution to his problem.

For years, Toshinori was looking for ways to prolong his life as a hero. Not out of selfish desire to shine at the top. Not out of fear of death either. But rather because he didn't believe that he found the right person to pass his power onto. Nighteye suggested Mirio and there was truly something great about that young man. But no matter how long the clairvoyant tried to convince him, All Might couldn't bring himself to give One for All to the student.

 _"I can still keep going!"_

That was what he always said to Nighteye and the other heroes who knew of his condition when the issue of a successor was brought up. The world needed him. And he made a promise to himself that, no matter what it cost him, he would continue fighting as the Symbol of Peace until the day of his death.

Recovery Girl and several other healers could restore him to his prime condition but only at the tremendous cost for them and short amount of time. In the end, the effort was not worth the result. He kept trying different methods to improve his health condition but all results were only temporary and proved ineffective with the prolonged used.

When he practically lost hope, however, Hatsume Akaseki, one of the closest allies of his, said that he finally found a way.

All Might couldn't arrive to the genius' laboratory fast enough.

 _"Nanorobotics." Countless blur prints and holograms and models greeted the Symbol of Peace as he entered the man's laboratory. They were all about the machines of various designs and, as All Might later learned, purposes. "When Quirks emerged, the research and development in this department went down because people were far more concerned with what caused genetic changes in them. But I always thought that the concept had far more potential."_

Solve the problem of hunger. Cure diseases. Improve humanity. The possibilities for the nanomachines were endless and, according to Hatsume, with them, there was nothing a man couldn't accomplish in due time. It all sounded like a dream.

But All Might dared to hope.

As the blond hero jumped from one roof to another, eyes searching for crimes to stop, the episode from over a month ago played out in his head. The genius inventor was working on the entire colony of self-reproducing nanomachines that could, in theory, mend his body back to its prime. Programmed with billions of commands, they would be able to support and even replace any vital tissues and organs that showed the signs of failure.

With this, he could continue being the Symbol of Peace twenty four/seven.

 _"How close are you to completion?" His voice betrayed his hopeful and disbelieving tone._

 _The man smiled._

 _"Just one step away."_

Just one step away...

Just a few more months of research and testing and he would be back to his strongest. Wasn't it cruel play of fate that no sooner than two weeks after that someone broke into the facility and stole every single piece of data as well as the experimental prototypes of nanobots? While their main purpose was to essentially serve as the enhanced version of life-support, Akaseki raised the potential of the very system being converted into something far more dangerous.

He was one of the smartest people in the world. But that didn't mean that even those with lesser IQ wouldn't find the way to weaponize his invention. One of the worst parts of the entire situation was that the main element of the robots was already completed.

They were self-replicating.

If one managed to militarize the nanomachines, this man would be provided with limitless supply of weapons of his own choosing. Untraceable and malleable, these weapons could be made powerful enough to be considered weapons of mass destruction.

A few weeks after the incident, five heroes went to apprehend a group of unidentified villains who started gathering local gangs under their command. According to the inside information, they were just a bunch of unskilled amateurs with more power than experience. They were sent out while the top of the heroics system kept searching for the nanomachines. They found them. The group of five that were sent to take down a small group of villains found the nanomachines.

But they never lived to tell this.

All Might and the others learned it from their scorched corpses.

He couldn't blame Aizawa for acting the way he did. Despite all their differences, he knew that the man had only the best interests in mind. They were losing time. Loss that they couldn't afford in the current situation.

"All Might," the voice of the redheaded genius spoke into his comm, bringing him back into reality. His voice was the mixture of anxiety and excitement. "We found them!"

His entire body tensed.

His teeth clenched.

His eyes blazed blue.

"Show me the way."

 **HVH**

Hit, run, live.

Repeat.

That was the motto of the common crook known among his fellow scumbags and bastards as "Rat". He never found the nickname insulting though. Much better than the name his parents gave him before tossing him out on the streets the moment he hit fifteen.

To say that life was harsh mistress to him was understatement. He always pictured life as the kind of far and ugly bitch that loved to grind your face into dirt and spit on your hopes and efforts. So why bother impress some old hag like this? That was why he formed a small gang of his own. The same unfavourites of fate that had nothing to lose.

They never pulled off anything big. They were underlings and petty thieves at best. Rough up some college kids for their money. Steal some idiot's wallet. Vandalize a car or someone's home and other shit like that. They never expected to stand on the same level as Eight Precepts of Death or Vipers or some other major organization.

And yet... For once in their lives, the bitch they called life decided to give them something but bruises and kicks.

 _"Take them."_

He stared at his palm, the memory of weird white patch in it. His friends did some light drugs but never got too much into it. Well, except for the Jaws but she was another story entirely. The girl had some issues. And coming from him, that meant something.

Still, they were promised a pretty good sum just for slapping those things onto any region of their body and they were hardly in position to say no to such money. As the burning pain surged through his entire being, he couldn't regret doing it more. It felt like this shit was burning and dissolving his veins and muscles as he screamed in agony.

And when the pain was gone...

He couldn't feel better.

"Boss," the man in black jeans and nothing else entered the room, his breath labored and eyes wide in shock. There was no sign of the arrogant grin the prick gave him when he said he would take the head position of the gang. "Heroes! They are here!"

Heroes? Well, it would happen sooner or later. You don't just murder a bunch of sidekicks and walk away. Still, if they thought he and his friends would just surrender like chumps they had a nasty surprise coming.

"Gather the men and get ready for the attack!" He barked out an order, the black liquid rising from his back and spreading across his arms and torso. The blobs of pitch black then extended towards some guns and weapons that his underlings gathered for him before swallowing them up. It took less than ten seconds for those guns to become part of him.

He still had no idea why that man in white gave this power to them. They didn't delude themselves into believing they were anything special. They were just a bunch of misfits with nothing coming for them. Maybe it was the very reason why he chose them? Honestly, Rat had no idea. Hell, he couldn't even contact the guy after he handed them cash and wished good luck.

"Ready to go all out?" He turned to see the fellow members of his gang, each and every drenched and coated in black slime. His hands ending with sharp claws, the young man with long green hair - known as simply Loc - stepped forward and chuckled humorlessly. "Huh, never thought we would go against some heroes. Guess it comes with the territory."

"I say we run," another member - the woman with short blue hair - spoke up even though her own long black tendrils were growing spikes all over themselves. "They've got heavy hitters like All Might and even Endeavor on their side. We have no chance! We should just take the money and run before we get caught and-"

"And what? Pushed into slammer? Afraid someone is gonna make you her bitch, Prin?" Jaws grinned as she licked her lips with a long meaty tongue. Her face, which now looked like the hairless black mask with white eyes and sharp teeth. "We don't have to beat them! we just need to do enough damage to make sure our names are written down in history and then BAM! Prison is like resort till we break out and do more damage!"

"You little psycho. you think Endeavor will let us-"

"Enough!" Rat commanded. He grew stronger and more confident ever since he assumed the leadership. Time to make good on his status. "We will fight them. No doubt they surrounded the entire area. They must have speedsters and barrier creators at their call should any make a break for it. But, if any of you want to leave, you can do so freely. I will not hold a grudge."

Prin didn't need to be told twice. She headed towards the exit muttering something about this being suicide and foolish macho thing. But he didn't want to listen. He was tired of running. If he was going to go down and be imprisoned (which would happen anyway), he would do it as the man who fought All Might and his cronies. He would make his name means something. "It's time to go. Get ready boys!"

The wall into their headquarters burst open, heroes standing with powers activated and weapons drawn. Their own men soon joined in, both sides finally ready to fight.

He couldn't even hope to beat any of the heroes up. They had skills, training and experience, he knew that much. Then again, none of them did. Maybe it was just some "bad guys" shit? Like, you will get beaten up anyway so why not try and land a few hits yourself? Or maybe it was just pride and arrogance? He didn't really bother with any philosophy as he opened fire and tried to shoot as many sidekicks and heroes as he could. He needed just a moment for his army to be ready and...

He couldn't help but grin at the expressions of heroes as the rest of the gang - his entire gang - roared and screeched in agony before doubling over in pain. They looked confused and even concerned but their looks would be nothing compared to what followed after that.

Black. It was quickly becoming his favorite color. As the billions of tiny cells spread across his underlings, he couldn't help the sense of superiority wash over him as all of them transformed from small-time crooks and punks with guns into hulking monsters. Some of them were fully transformed into beasts of black. Some partially. But it didn't change the fact that now numbers were definitely on their side.

That was the problem with heroes. They always looked down on criminals like them and arrived in smaller numbers. As if to say that one of them was enough to take them all down. Well, this time they wouldn't get away without paying for their arrogance!

He never wanted to fight. He always ran. There was nothing for him to gain from fighting.

"Gentlemen..." he whispered, countless eyes turning to him as the bloodthirsty grin spread all over his face. Today things were different. Everything was different now. He had things to lose if he ran away now. So he wouldn't do it. He would stay... "ATTACK!"

... and he would fight.

He was quickly assaulted by Eraserhead, the man obviously going for him with his steel cloth. He smirked and willed his arms turn into giant swords before clashing with the Erasing Hero. Whatever helped him (most probably, the same thing that was running through blood of every single person here), he couldn't turn his powers off so now he had the upper hand. He was going to use it to the fullest.

Slash. Stab. Parry. He wasn't very good at swordplay but was fast and strong enough to actually push the hero back. Heh, he - a petty crook - was pushing the badass like Eraserhead back! His excitement ended much quicker than he would love it to as some gorilla-like hero sucker-punched him from behind.

"Stay down!" He hissed in pain and annoyance as the brute wrapped his hands around his torso, obviously trying to force him to surrender with brute force. But he wouldn't be at the top of the food chain if he lost that easily. The shriek of pain brought a smile to his face. The grip around him weakened and he used the opportunity to grab the hero by his giant hand before throwing him at the other heroes.

"These guys are strong!"

"Don't lost focus!" One of the heroes extended his wooden limb and smacked a bunch of black-covered monsters aside. "We are pushing them back!"

He did have a point. It was obvious they wouldn't last in a fight for long.

Not when heroes were so focused on taking them down.

"Everyone, scatter!" The order caught everyone by surprise. "Every single one of you that can move and fight, run! Spread across the city and cause as much damage as you can! Now!"

Now they had something to busy themselves with. The monsters jumped through the ceiling before their laughter spread in the air, the loud promise of slaughter and destruction resonating in the night sky. He was quickly slammed into the wall, the icy blue eyes of the Top Hero glaring into his own.

"What the hell did you do?!"

"Do you really have time to ask these questions?" He smirked, voice taunting and confident even though he couldn't fight anymore. The man could snap him like a twig and yet he was the one who felt victorious here. The sounds of explosions and panic grew loud and frantic, alerting everyone. "Doesn't look like that to me."

Even as the man punched him unconscious, Rat couldn't help but smile.

 **HVH**

"Wow, they actually engaged in direct combat."

The lonely figure, dressed in white and grey clothes stood at the top of the building, his form concealed away from everyone's eyes and sensors. Honestly, he didn't expect those kids to grow a backbone. Then again, it's not like anything changed in terms of his plans and goals. It would still make him feel bad once he went to harvest the data the nanomachines collected for him. They could be quite useful given time and some guidance. Unfortunately, he had neither.

"Aren't you feeling bad that you left them behind?"

No response followed, though it was not unexpected. He took another look at the girl... or rather what was left of her. Her skin was ashen white and seemed to crack all over the place. Her once blue hair were now grey and lifeless. Just like the rest of her being. Her powers did provide quite the interesting addition to the code. Too bad he never would see her utilize the enhanced version of those.

"Raaargh!" One of the monsters appeared right behind him, seemingly out of nowhere. Did the nanobots enhance his camouflage Quirk or something of that sort? Well, more data to analyze for the good old doctor back at the base. For now... "Urgh?"

The monster didn't even know what hit him until its head fell on the roof before the blood burst out of his neck like a fountain. He took out the piece of black plastic before pushing it against the monster's chest. It took a few more minutes for the tech to stop scanning through all the data the nanomachines collected throughout their short existence. The green lines stretched all across the entire thing before the small portion of nanobots detached itself from the body and was absorbed into the lines.

|DATA ACQUIRED|

"Whew," he whistled in amusement as the holographic screen on his arm-pad displayed all the information this guy provided. Rat certainly saved them trouble by spreading all those patches across his gang. Too bad he too would have to go. "It is going to be a busy night, huh?"

The nanomachines would provide more data if their hosts became more active. So he could allow himself an hour or so before he harvested it all. Thankfully, it could be done remotely. Otherwise, he would have to go after each and every psycho on a rampage. Not something he would enjoy. He had a few more hours until every single monsters was taken down, subdued or incapacitated.

For now? He would just kick back and enjoy the show.

As his eyes zoomed in on the streets, he couldn't help but feel amused at how people reacted to monsters. They could fight. Heck, he was pretty sure a lot of them could even kill those things. But the society dictated they couldn't. And they accepted they were weak and in need of protection so they ran. They ran and screamed like little children, abandoning everything and ready to step all over each other.

"Look out!"

Hm? He looked down to see the boy with green hair push some old man out of the monster's way. He helped the man up before trying to get him to safety. Now that was amusing to watch. Heroes reacted fast. But even then they could only save so many lives. And with the threat that big, some areas were just doomed to become the slaughterhouse. He wondered briefly if this kid would make it out of this mess alive.

"Sadly, I don't have time for this," he whispered before taking off towards the bigger fish. While he could collect all the data and nanomachines remotely, he still needed to clean up some trails in order to make sure nothing could connect him to the entire mess. He honestly hoped the kid survived the night. Or maybe not. He was just amusing to watch but nothing more.

Time to tie the loose ends.

One click of a button would end it all.

 **HVH**

Izuku was dead.

Well, not yet. But it wouldn't be too long before he was. What the hell was he thinking about? He should have run together with the rest of the crowd and let the actual heroes handle this! It wasn't too late. If he ran right now, he would be safe! He wanted to run. He wanted to live. And yet...

"Run!" He yelled out but didn't move himself. Standing between the girl and the monster, he hastily picked up some steel pipe from the ground and held it in front of himself. It was hollow and barely weighed anything but could serve as a makeshift weapon. For about a minute or so until the creature slashed it into pieces. "I'll hold it off! Run!"

The girl with spiky brown hair listened and was gone very soon. The monster easily jumped over him and would chase after the girl if Izuku didn't throw his only weapon at it. Honestly, he didn't know what he hoped would happen. It's not like he had any significant arm strength, or _any_ strength at that. The steel pipe lamely bounced off the monster's head, not even as much as a wince coming from it.

It did the job, however. It drew the monster's attention away from the girl... and right back to him.

"Raaargh!" Despite its size, the monster moved fast. Fast enough to disappear into a blur of black and flesh before slamming him into the ground with all the grace and force of a truck. Izuku coughed hoarsely, the air escaping from his lungs and mouth, the shards of glass on the ground piercing his back. He could feel his ribs cracking under the pressure. It wouldn't be too long until one of them pierced his organs.

It was surprisingly calm on the streets. Maybe it was just all the pain and shock but the streets seemed empty with only the two of them here. Most heroes must have been busy evacuating people somewhere farther away. Only after they took care of the majority of the people and monsters were taken care of, they would have enough heroes to check for the survivors.

He doubted he would live long enough for that though.

 _So this is how it ends...?_ He thought weakly, staring into soulless black eyes of the monster. It opened its mouth, displaying rows and rows of razor sharp white teeth. Its unnaturally long tongue slithered out as if it was about to enjoy the meal. _Heh... I guess it is..._

At least, his death wouldn't be in vain. He managed to save two people even if all he did was something as small as serving as bait. Even if it was brief, he was a hero. Despite this, however, Izuku couldn't completely overcome the fear of death. He stared into the bloodthirsty eyes of the monster and gritted his teeth. If he were to die like this...

Then he would face the death with dignity as all heroes did.

The monster drew its clawed hand back.

Izuku gathered all his courage and tried to channel it into his words.

"Do your worst."

He closed his eyes at the last second and braced himself for the impact but... No pain came. Slowly, he opened his eyes only to see the monster frozen. Not in encased in ice or turned into stone but looking as if paralyzed. What happened?

It didn't tale for him to learn the answer as the skin of the monster turned lifeless ashen gray. Cracks spread all over its now dry and stony flesh before falling apart and turning to dust. The muscles and bones, the claws and fangs, all faded away, the man falling against Izuku, his eyes rolled back and black tongue out. For a moment, he panicked and pushed him off of himself, not sure what to expect. Was he dead? Did he need help?

"Urgh..." The groan from the man's body managed to calm Izuku down if only a little. He picked the man up, his body strangely light for someone his size. He wore simple sleeveless T-shirt with baggy pants and Izuku could clearly see no injuries on him. Wait... "What is this?"

There was a small patch of white cloth. He gave the man a second look and saw similar - albeit, grey or black - ones on his wrists and elbows. They were much smaller than this one as well. Just what was he- No. He put the white patch away into his pocket, making a note to give it back to the man once he regained consciousness.

He didn't have time to think about it right now. This man needed medical attention and he couldn't waste time asking questions he wouldn't get answers for any time soon. He took the man's arm and grabbed him under the armpit, trying to make carrying the man as easy and comfortable as possible. The area of relief couldn't be so far away, right? The heroes must be patrolling the streets and would find them soon.

Until then he could, at least, help carry the man towards safety. Even if not even ten minutes ago, he was more than happy to end his life.

 _But this is what heroes should do,_ He reminded himself. To leave someone behind when the person needed help was not heroic. The man groaned again but still refused to wake up, instead drooling all over his shoulder. Despite this slight inconvenience, Izuku couldn't help but notice how he no longer could hear the sounds of battle even remotely. _Is it over?_

If it was, then he could certainly walk much faster and with calmer mind.

"Hey, over here!" Izuku looked up, spotting the man in red and white light armor suit. Izuku couldn't help but stare at the man awestruck. It was Buster Hero! "I found two more people!"

He was obviously talking to someone in charge of evacuation and relief. As the man descended from the sky, Izuku couldn't help but feel the growing pit in his stomach. Something wasn't right... He felt something bad coming. But from where?

"Get away from me!"

Izuku yelped as he was pushed away by the man he carried all this time, his eyes bloodshot and wild. What was happening to him?

"Where is it?!" The man roared, glaring at him balefully. His fingers twitched and he seemed to be in pain. Frantically, he searched through his pants and, when he found nothing in his pockets, his anger only grew worse. "WHERE IS IT?!"

His fingers elongated and hardened into razor-sharp claws as he charge at Izuku. Exhausted and still injured, he could only watch the man cover the distance between the two of them in a single jump with his blade-like fingers ready to chop him up.

"Don't just stand there!" Like a rocket, the jetpack wearing hero crashed into the man and stood in front of Izuku. He looked the green haired boy over and noticed that he looked a lot worse for the wear than at first glance. Damn it, he only finished dealing with his own share of rescue operations and his jetpack was running low on fuel. His taser guns also had only that much charge until they ran dry. "Any idea what he wants?"

"I think he is trying to get this," Izuku showed the white patch from before, his voice shaky and nervous. What was so important about this little rectangle that it drove the man into such state? "But I don't know what it is."

"I think I might have an idea," Buster muttered, trying not to give away his concern. The man was obviously a junkie. But, what's more important, he recognized the black tongue on the man. It couldn't be a coincidence. If that guy had some patch filled with Trigger, then things were bound to get ugly in no time. "I'll hold him off. You, run to safety."

"B-But..."

"Now!" He didn't have time to argue. While Trigger wore off quite fast, in almost every single case, there were some residual traces of it in the bloodstream. More than enough to give the significant boost in strength. "That's an order!"

Izuku followed it despite himself, stuffing the patch into his pocket and running away. His mind was now focused on getting to safety. Shutting out all and any other danger, he ran towards the relief zone in hopes of meeting someone who he could hand the patch of cloth over to.

He never saw the small tear in its corner of the patch.

 **HVH**

"Well, things could be better."

Hizashi knew that his laughter sounded all kinds of forced and awkward. But damn if he didn't want to stop the silence that took over the room. It wasn't that he didn't understand the gravity of the situation but he would rather stop sulking and start analyzing the position they found themselves in.

"It certainly could," He should thank Miss Joke later. Heh, wasn't it ironic how the two of them were usually the ones to break the ice in such talks? The media and public always assumed both of them were the light-hearted jokesters of the hero groups while someone like Eraserhead took charge. "But they could be all much worse. Luckily, we suffered no casualties."

"You mean, on the side of civilians and heroes," Cementoss added, his expression conflicted and worried. Not that Hizashi could really blame the man for that. He was a great hero but, despite all the times he fought in battles, he still struggled with how much he valued the human's life. "Sadly, the same cannot be said for those who raided the city this night."

"Nothing we can do about it," Snipe said with cold tone, his expression unreadable but voice bearing no hostility. "Whatever stopped all of that madness pretty much fried the monsters' brains up or simply killed them."

Frank. But no less true. Whatever the cause behind, but approximately at the same time all the black monsters lost thier powers and beastly forms before falling half-dead all over streets and buildings. Some were unlucky to revert back into human forms during the battle when certain heroes took to... ultimate measures. The only person who was more or less unshaken was Endeavor. _What a surprise..._

"Any word from All Might or Hatsume-san?" Power Loader scratched the back of his neck, trying not to sound impatient. Or irritated. "I used some of my machines to analyze whatever we managed to salvage from the outbreak zone but my computers crashed. Turns out those little things had some kind of virus installed if anyone tried to break into their system."

Oh... Hizashi couldn't help but gulp and look away. When you had a mouth as big as his, you tended to learn a thing or two about pet peeves. Like, never offer Nedzu cheese or he will hunt you. Or touching any of the juice packets of Aizawa's in the fridge. Otherwise, he will destroy you. And, of course, don't mess with Power Loader's girlfriends (his tech). Just... don't.

"I am sure Hatsume-san will happily make it up to you," he tried to play it off cool, only a second later realizing what he just suggested. Even though the man's eyes were concealed behind his helmet, the mohawk-haired man could feel the icy glare on his body that could put out Endeavor's flames. Ouch. "W-Well, back to the topic, anything from the reports from civilians?"

"Actually," Nemuri adjusted her glasses - her actual glasses - to look over the stack of reports provided by the police officers and different heroes on site. "there was a boy who claimed to be in possession of something that one of reverted criminals seemed to be after. Buster hero suggested that it might be some improved version of Trigger."

Damn it. Not this shit again. Would it kill some crazy scientist to create something other than drugs that screwed them over?

"And?"

"Nothing," the woman sighed i disappointment. "the kid didn't look like he was folling around but the patch he gave one of the officers was nothing but a piece of cloth. No drug or anything dangerous or suspicious. Must have been shock."

Yeah. Not everyday that your city got attacked from the inside by a bunch of monsters.

"Other than that, we couldn't get anything concrete," Snipe continued, his own stack of reports now resting beside him. "However, I believe we should wait till Eraserhead and All Might arrive. They were among the group of heroes fighting the leaders of the entire operation so they could provide more information on what happened."

"This is exactly what is bothering me about the entire thing." All eyes turned to Blood King whose eyes were harder than steel, obviously deep in his own thoughts. "How the hell did these crooks get their hands on those nanobots in the first place?"

That was a good question, actually. Hatsume was a weird guy and a bit obssessive with technology but he wasn't a fool. You don't build your own company from the scratch by simply being smart. His security system was easily one of the most advanced ones and could detect a bunch of small-time crooks breaking in.

"They could have someone do it for them. With how ridiculous some Quirks can get, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them had some power to sneak into the building and escape. Not something new, if you ask me," Joke said with a shrug. It was true though. Quirks tended to range from the stuff from comic books to some quite ridiculous proportions. The idea of a Quirk that could help pull off a robbery of such level wasn't entirely impossible.

"Sure, maybe they got lucky or someone there had a very useful Quirk," Blood King agreed but his voice didn't lose in its suspicion and concern. "but doesn't anyone else find it strange that they managed to not only steal the data but also actually _make_ something out of it?"

That... was a good point.

"As far as we know, none of the monsters had any particular talent in genetics, nanorobotics or any other science field for that matter," Some of them didn't even finish junior high school, for God's sake, and yet somehow they managed to make the prototype into working model in a spand of a few weeks? He called bullshit on that. "Plus, the entire thing just reeks off the setup."

"Someone trying to get rid of competition?"

"Worse," Aizawa entered the room, All Might and Endeavor right behind him. "Field test."

What?

"One of the laders, the man going by Rat, survived and told us everything." Endeavor said, his voice devoid of any humor. No doubt he was the one who got it out of the man. Despite the differences - a whole lot of them, actually - Hizashi had to admit he did begrudgingly respect the man for his effectiveness in such matters. "Turns out that they were nothing but test subjects. The man, known by the gang as Vice, was the supplier of nanobot patches. According to Rat, the patches gave significant boosts in all physical attributes as well as some... additional benefits."

That didn't sound good.

"What kind of benefits?"

"While with varying results, the nanobots were able to merge with various weapons. Or rather, as Hatsume-san explained, they 'memorized' the structure and then replicated it." Aizawa said as he placed a glass cylinder with the grey specks inside. "The later analysis showed that the nanobots were specifically designed to collect any DNA data from the host. That can only mean one thing."

It couldn't be any more obvious.

"This entire attack was just the test drive," Power Loader gasped, displaying more emotion than any of them ever saw him to. "But for what?"

"We don't know," All Might finally spoke, his expression all the more serious without that pearly white smile. "The possibilities are endless. It could be the demonstration for the black market. Or maybe the declaration of war. The ultimate goal of this Vice is irrelevant."

The Symbol of Peace slammed his fist into his palm, eyes blazing blue menacingly.

"What matters is that we are going to stop him."

To hear the powerful All Might say it so confidently with the dashing smile. That certainly sounded reassuring. But... How were they going to do this? Obviously, Rat and whoever else survived knew only as much as Vice allowed them to. And if the man was smart enough to alter the technology of such level, there was little hope he would be dumb enough to have the nanobots somehow tracked back to him.

They were in for some really stressful days.

"Let's get to work."

 **HVH**

"Midoriya, are you alright?"

He wanted to say he wasn't but instead just nodded in response to the teacher's concern. He would rather deal with it during the lunch break rather than have the teacher send him to the nurse now. The rest of the class only exchanged hushed remarks as they gave him weird looks, ranging somewhere between suspicion, slight worry (though not for him, obviously) and the usual sense of superiority they always held in regards to him.

When Izuku got back home yesterday, he was exhausted beyond belief. He was in the middle of the streets when the monster started the attack. He ran and dodged out of the falling pieces and parts of buildings, barely avoiding getting crushed into paste. Then he came this close to death and only the lucky gift from above saved him from getting mauled by the black monster. It was just his luck that his parents weren't home.

If they ever heard of what happened, he would be grounded for life by dad. Or hugged to death by mom! He couldn't tell which one was worse though.

Still, as he changed into his sleeping wear and crashed onto his bed, the aspiring hero couldn't help his lips curling into the satisfied smile. Sure, he didn't defeat or even fight the monster. But he still helped two people. Not so bad for a Quirkless kid like him, right? If he managed to do that much, then maybe there was still some hope for him?

There were a lot of heroes who focused on helping civilians and providing relief after the battle. Sure, that was not as big as fights the combat heroes had but it was still the hero's job. The problem was that, in his excitement, he spent the whole night thinking about all of it and managed to get only two hours of sound sleep in.

 _RISE AND SHINE, YOUNG HEROOOOES!_

As the familiar recording of his idol played over and over again on his alarm clock, Izuku felt like each and every syllable cut into his brain, clawing their way into the soft organ before scooping pieces out. Still sleepy, he tried to switch it off but the recording just stubbornly repeated itself time and time again. His patience was running thin, his headache pushing him to the breaking point. Then something completely unexpected happened. Something he was still wrecking his mind over.

 _RISE AND SHINE, YOUNG HER-_

 _"Oh come on!"_ Normally, he valued all and any All Might exclusive merchandise as Holy Grail but his headache was seemingly growing worse with each second it played. He groaned in agitation before slamming his hand against the alarm clock in frustration. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea? All products from All Might's line were damn near indestructible!

He remembered how he prepared himself for the pain and would need to search for some bandages. However, he felt neither pain nor the slightest bit of discomfort. Rubbing his eyes, Izuku looked at his nightstand and... rubbed his eyes once again. When the impossible picture in front of him remained, he pinched himself just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. Maybe he exaggerated when he called the merchandise indestructible but they didn't break so easily. And yet...

The proof was right here, right in front of him. A mess of bent and broken pieces of metal, the All Might bust shattered and broken. He would be frantically searching for glue all the while murmuring apologies to his hero if it were not how he felt right now. He looked at his arm, the one he smashed the alarm clock with.

Pushing the broken parts of his alarm clock into a trash bag, Izuku couldn't help but wonder how he managed to do this. Last time he checked, his punches were hardly strong enough to smash _anything_ at all. As he took a look at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he saw... nothing new or peculiar. Same skinny frame. Same pale skin. Same everything.

Then where did this strength come from?

That was the question he kept asking himself over the entire ride to school. There were numerous scenrios that could explain the earlier incident but each and every time he found some minor detail that made him doubt the idea and start all over. For all he knew, the alarm clock could be just a cheap replica and he was making a fuss over nothing. But still, there was something that kept bugging him about the whole thing that made him keep going. Continue searching for an answer.

Two classes in, and his symptoms got worse. He felt the strong fatigue and found it hard to even run one lap during the Gym class. Needless to say, his classmates found the display of his physical weakness an amusing sight. Surprisingly, Kacchan was one of the few who actually didn't see any merit in picking on him or even verbally as much as insulting him. Was it a pity? Or did he simply not care?

Honestly, as he took a pill provided by nurse, Izuku couldn't care either. All he wanted right now was to go home and rest until whatever bug he caught wore off. He had three more days until his parents returned and he would be better off healing now. Otherwise, he would be stuck at home for weeks!

"Oi, Midoriya!"

Oh no... Looking back, Izuku could only steel himself and try to act a calm as possible. Hanabira, despite his gentle name, was probably one of the nastiest pieces of work that Izuku was misfortune to know. It was not how powerful he was that guaranteed him such reputation. (Honestly, even though he was already in second year of high school, Kacchan could beat him up pretty easily.) It was how nonchalant and sneaky he was about his dealings.

Case in point.

"I heard you were going home early today," he smiled like a good-natured kid he was not. There was little doubt someone at school told him. Hanabira loved to have the other kids do his dirty work in exchange for writing off their debts or something of similar nature. "And I thought 'Hey, it's been a while since we went to arcade together!'. Friends should stick together, you know."

And pay for everything. That was unsaid but no less true, in Hanabira's eyes. Being his friend meant that, frankly, you were his wallet and slave. And, occassionally, a punching bag.

"I-I am really sorry," honestly, he wasn't. He hated the guy. Not because of how he treated him but rather how much pleasure he seemingly took in it. Humiliating and beating up others simply because he could? This guy was no better than some random villain. "But I am really sick and I-"

Hana didn't let him finish.

"Care to repeat that?" His voice was cold, eyes taunting and amused as Izuku nursed his cheek. He could already feel the bruise form on it and some blood in his mouth as well. The blue steel that coated the older guy's arm shone in the artifical light of the area under the bridge. "You seem healthy enough to me. Or are you saying I am a liar?"

 _Yes._

"N-No," he whispered shakily. Damn it, even when he wanted to, he couldn't push anything out of himself. He was so pathetic! "I-I am sorry."

The high schooler grinned and patted him on the head, not bothering to deactivate his Quirk.

"Now that's the spirit!" The way the guy pushed him forward made Izuku think of how a warden would lead the prisoner to the chair. "I knew I could rely on ya!"

As if he had a choice.

By the time they were done, though Hanabira was the only one enjoying his time, Izuku's wallet was pretty much empty. It was a good thing that he didn't take much with himself tough. Otherwise, the high schooler would milk more out of him.

"Ah, what a day!" The guy cheered, biting into the cheeseburger and gulping down soda drink. "You know what, we should do this every day! Sounds great, right?"

No, it didn't.

"Hey, look!" The guy pointed at the bright sign of the new shop on the street, licking his lips hungrily. It was a bar. An actual bar. "Let's go there!"

No.

"N-No," Even though it was shaky and unsure, he was quite proud of saying this. Not that it helped him much when Hanabira decided to remind him who was calling the shots. "Ow!"

The guy was strong. Unskilled and as stupid as a rock but strong. His punches hurt. To the point that Izuku felt like the brick wall punched him with all the might and rage of a bull with red blanket over its eyes.

"I didn't hear you well." He sneered before pulling back his fist. "Care to correct yourself?"

Izuku couldn't. He wouldn't. Even if he had to get beaten, he wouldn't. The silence and hard glare were enough of a sign for the bully. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders as if saying 'what can you do then' before delivering the first punch. As the fist slammed into his solar plexus, Izuku felt

His prayers were answered.

Though soon he would grow to regret it.

"Well, well, well~"

His eyes widened and body froze in shock as he watched something appear behind Hanabira. The high schooler's reaction was no better than his, his skin growing pale and body twitching as he turned around. He only had enough time to gasp in surprise as the creature pulled him back, its green slimy hands and body trapping him inside its own body like a cocoon.

Hanabira screamed. It was the first time Izuku heard the older guy make such a sound. The screaming was soon muffled as the villain covered the bully's mouth, possibly starting to suffocate him. In a few minutes, the struggle ended and Hanabira was unconscious, his body no longer under his command.

The green spread and tightened around the bully's body, making itself into a more condensed piece of living armor. Large monstrous eyes bulged out of the head section, red irises unfocused only for a second before becoming filled with pure malice. White teeth appeared around the neck section, making the weird collar-like extension of the body. As the people around scattered with screams of panic and frantic noise, the villain turned to Izuku and grinned viciously, its abnormally large and square teeth glinting dangerously in the street lights.

"What do we have here?"

 _Run!_ His mind screamed at him. But his body didn't move an inch. _You have to run!_

The world around him turned into a blue before the sharp pain coursed from his back and through all of his body. It must have been all the shock and panic that only now he realized the monster threw him into the wall with all the strength of a truck. Stalking towards him like an apex predator, the villain licked his lips, its red eyes with sick yellow sclera promising him all the pain and trauma he could take. And then even more.

Shaking and limping, he tried to escape. But it only got an amused chuckle from the villain before Izuku felt the steel-coated hand wrap itself around his ankle.

He felt the current of air brush his hair, the monster's grip on his ankle vice and strong. The momentary surprise and confusion were replaced by the dull pain as he was slammed into the ground. Izuku had little time to recover before he let out the strangled cry as his ankle bone was crushed in the man's steel hand. Clutching it and fighting back tears, Izuku could only look up at the monster.

He was smiling. It was a genuine smile of someone who enjoyed the way things were.

"Heh, you sure make a nice beating boy," The monster chuckled before cracking its knuckles. "This one has a really nice Quirk. I wonder just how much I can destroy with it."

It sounded so innocent... Surprisingly, there were only slight traces of malice as if the man was just a child discovering his Quirk for the first time. But then Izuku looked into those eyes and saw it all. He saw the pure desire for destruction. So pure and simple that it seemed almost natural for this man. As if wrecking havoc and murdering people was as necessary for him as air.

"Well, it was fun beating the shit out of you, but I have the name to make for myself," the monster chuckled as he stepped away from the boy. He would make as much noise as needed before some good two shoes arrived to stop him. Step by step, he would latch onto stronger and stronger heroes. He would destroy everything until he was strong enough to finally take control of All Might and then... Then the real fun would beg- "Uh?"

He felt something stop him. Looking down, he saw the green haired shrimp he used for testing the body. What the hell did he want from him?

"Let... him go..."

Eh? It took a few seconds to understand what the brat wanted. And yet he still couldn't see why. If anything, this little shit should bow to him for saving him from that bully. Heck, the brat would end up dead sooner or later so he was doing the spineless piece of shit a solid one here. And yet _he_ wanted his own bully to be freed? What a joke. No wonder he was basically a slave for the bully brat.

"Can it, kid," he wasn't one for niceties. One quick kick to the chin and another stomp on the head and the shitty idiot would go down. Only he didn't, instead his grip grew stronger. "Tch. I said..."

The brat closed his eyes but didn't release the grip. Welp, his funeral then.

"-let go!"

A sickening crunch was music to his ears. He must have dislocated the kid's jaw pretty hard. Maybe even crack his cheek bones or some other shit. Well, he did try to let the kid walk away. Not his fault the damn idiot wanted to play a hero. Should have thought better than messing with him.

"You shouldn't have done that, kid."

As the man delivered a strong and vicious kick to his stomach, Izuku had only that much strength left in his weak body to look in his direction. His vision was blurry and black spots started forming on the edges of it. His jaw was pulsing and aching, the metallic taste of his blood pooling in his mouth. He reached out towards the man, his mind already fading and not realizing just how pointless it was.

He tried standing up but the villain decided to beat him down again.

"You can't do shit, you little bastard!"

 _Why did I even try?_

He was weak. He was pathetic. He was a nobody.

"What can you even do?

 _"What can you even do?"_

The question, so sharp and hurtful, rang in his head over and over as the man gloated and laughed at his helplessness. His weakness.

He could get hurt. He could fail. He could make a fool out of himself.

But he could never be a hero.

 _If only I could..._ reach that man...

 _If only I could..._ do anything...

 _If only I..._ wasn't so pathetic and weak. He would do anything to be able to save was no other way this day would end. He already could picture himself getting pierced with the monster's steel-coated fist and dying on the streets. The best he could do was brace himself and die with dignity. Izuku closed his eyes, the world around becoming dark and cold. All sounds died, his mind fading further into nothing. _Lose my mind. Break my body. Sell my soul. If only I could be a hero... Then no matter what the cost was... I would... I would gladly..._

"TIME TO DIE!"

 _ **I would do anything.**_

And so, the darkness consumed him.

* * *

"Hm?"

The fist didn't connect. Or rather, it just didn't feel like it had. The monster looked at the boy in surprise, feeling something protect him from his improvised weapon. Was he wearing some kind of bulletproof vest or something? No... The vests weren't so thin. They didn't... move? He pushed his fist further, trying to tear through the protective wear but to no avail.

"Just what the fuc-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. As he was pushed several meters back, the monster could only nurse his cheek in shock at what happened. That... actually hurt. Not that his Quirk didn't allow him to feel the pain of those who he controlled but he usually could easily ignore it. Hmmm, now that was interesting.

"So you finally show what you can do, eh?" Maybe he would take over the boy once he beat him up enough. He certainly showed some promise if he could take on the full force of the enhanced Steel Fist. "Tired of getting kicked to the curb?"

No response followed. Smudge felt the feeling of unease grow in his stomach as he looked at the boy's form just standing there. There was something different about him... Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He didn't pay much mind to it though. If he wanted to, he could just easily escape any moment he wanted and no matter how much the kid tried, he wouldn't be able to kill him. Not when his body was nothing more than the living wave of slime.

"Let's see what you got!"

The boy vanished right in front of his eyes. The momentary surprise proved to be a serious mistake on his part as he felt the steel bar smash against his jaw. Well, technically, not his jaw, but that still hurt like a bitch. Where did the brat even find it that fast?

"You little-!" Another quick blow to his face cut him short, making his blood boil with rage. Willing his hands to become steel, he grabbed the kid by the collar and threw him into the wall, not caring how much force he put behind the throw. Sure, it would be bad if the brat died before he got to take revenge on him but what could you do?

That little shit shouldn't have pissed him off.

"Tch, good riddance," he massaged his jaw, assessing the damage. Yup, broken. Good thing it wasn't his body that would end with all the damage. As he prepared to leave, Sludge noticed that something felt odd about the current situation. It had been good ten minutes or so since he attacked. Surely, some hero should have arrived by now. And just how silent the street was...

Something was wrong.

Another mixture of roar and cry alerted him of the danger. Annoyance and frustration coursed through his body, teeth grinding and eyes burning. Did that kid still have some fight in him?

Before he could yell out another insult, something him like a freight train. And damn did it hurt!

He could feel some ribs crack all over, the small bile ofblood pushing its way outside. His eyes, which were locked onto the wall he threw the brat at, widened as he realized that the little shit wasn't there. Slowly, he lowered his gaze at the object that pinned him to the wall and couldn't help but wish he didn't. Cold sweat ran down his brow, his mind not quite comprehending what he was looking at.

It was still that kid from before. But something was off about him. His skin was ashen gray, dry and crumbling. His clothing was shredded and soaked in his own blood. Honestly, the brat looked more dead than alive, nothing short of a walking corpse!

The boy raised his head and slowly opened his eyes.

Two orbs of pure black greeted him. They were hollow and lifeless, not even the shred of thought behind. For several long haunting moments, the kid kept staring creepily into his eyes. And then, as if a switch was flipped in his head, those eyes sharpened and the unfocused expression on the boy's face turned into an ugly snarl.

With the growl, the boy grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the ground. Without giving him any time to recover, the brat jumped at him, pinning him against the ground. He could see some weird smoke coming from the brat's body. As the kid's hands wrapped around his neck, he knew that it would be the end of the line for him. One of the biggest downsides of his Quirk was that, should he ever merge with the host deep enough, it would take time to get detached from him. Abandoning half-processed victim was easy. But with all the usage of the Quirk, he would need around ten minutes ro so to get free. The time that he simply didn't have.

So he watched in silent horror as the boy started turning into something else entirely.

Starting from his chest, the black ooze spread all across his flesh. The wounds were sealed, not even a drop of blood making it through thye material. The gray sand-like skin was hidden underneath the thing layer of pitch black, almost as if it was his new skin. As the black mass spread up to his head and then covered his entire face, Sludge couldn't help but whisper a question. His voice shook with so many emotions - anger, shock, _fear_ \- as he choked out the words:

"What are you?"

* * *

 _"What am I?"_

He was Midoriya Izuku. A fourteen year old student, one year away from graduating his junior high school. He liked heroes and always wanted to be one. But he was also a Deku, a good for nothing outcast. He was born Quirkless and couldn't be a hero. But he wasn't going to let that fact stop him. No matter how many people laughed at him or looked down at him, he would keep going!

The happy memories he shared with his parents brought a smile to his face. All thosee times when they encouraged him to pursue his dreams and aspirations... All the speeches so many heroes gave about the value of hard work and drive... It was his hope. His dream. Everything and all that kept him going despite what the world said.

This is what he felt here.

 **"... Then what am I?"**

He was also Midoriya Izuku. Or, at least, he was pretty sure he was. He still had the same memories like him. The same aspirations and dreams and hopes... But his were crushed. The memories the second voice held were far from happy, the episodes of humiliation and abuse at the hands of his classmates replaying over and over in his mind as he reached towards the voice.

It was his anger. His frustration and every single dark thought that resided in the back of his mind. Every single time he wished he could get revenge on Kacchan and his lackeys... Every single time he felt frustrated with his own powerlessness... Every single _fucking_ time the world reminded him how he could only dream of being a hero... All of it... It all was here as well.

 _ **"Then what are we?"**_

Both voices spoke at the same time, the quiet and loud, the timid and angry, the good and evil mixing together. The darkness that kept him - both of them blind - vanished, two figures staring at each other. Both of them were perfect replicas of each other, though only in body and face. As if the darkness kept their knowledge locked, the moment they saw each other, each of them spoke.

 **"You are what we want to be."** The version of Izuku, dressed in torn and dirty replica of All Might suit, smiled dryly. There was no malice in his voice, however. Just dryamusement. Behind the pale green strands of unkept hair, his eyes, dull green and yet so sharp, looked straight at the bright figure of his reflection. **"The bright and powerful hero everyone can rely on. The one who can stand next to All Might and shine just as bright."**

The figure in All Might Suit nodded, his smile both happy and yet sad at the same time.

 _"And you are what we so desperately want to hide from everyone."_ His bright image contrasted with the solemn look his eyes held. His voice was nervous, concerned and detached all at the same time. _"The little kid who hides beneath his dreams and delusions... Too scared to face the reality and move on. Too hesitant and anxious. Someone who could never be a hero. Someone who knows it all too well."_

The heavy silence hung over them.

 _"Please..."_

Both Midoriyas looked around as the new voice - this one much more distant and faint - shook the walls. The man... The villain that took control of Hanabira... It was that man!

 _"What is going on?"_

 **"Look!"**

Both of them saw the man, struggling to breathe as two hands - their hands - kept choking him.

 _"S-Stop...!"_

 _"We need to help him!"_ The bright hero was about to move when he noticed that he - as well as his twin - were trapped. The black ozze coiled and wrapped itself around their bodies, making it impossible to do anything but watch. _"What is going on?"_

The black spread, devouring everything around. More and more of the world was soon shrouded in the haunting pitch black. Both sides of Midoriya fought against the restraints even as they had only their heads free from the shadow. Both gritted their teeth in frustration, thie efforts futile and hopes crushed.

 _"Please..."_

The memories - both good and bad - flowed in quick succession. Was it them watching their life before they took another man's? If so, it was quite the cruel trick the fate decided to play. Seeing something you had... and then robbing another person of it.

To their common surprise, they watched the green peel off the head, the bully's tearful and broken expression looking at them.

 _"Save... me... Mi... do.. riya...!"_

Something snapped inside of them. As the darkness crawled towards their eyes, all the rest already consumed, both parts of the boy fought against it with all their might. They wouldn't take life. They wouldn't become a killer!

 _Because I..._

 **... and always will be...**

The bright light shone from both sides, the brilliant white tearing the dark apart and turning the world around them just the same.

* * *

As the black skin peeled itself off of him, he dropped on his knees, exhausted but victorious. A small smile spread across his lips as he looked into Hanabira's eyes.

"Midoriya Izuku."

* * *

 **WOHOOOO! 15K+ words!**

 **Guys, PLEASE, tell me should I stick to longer chapters or the shorter ones? Shorter are faster to write but the longer ones let me explore and show a bit more. I need to hear your opinion on this one.**

 **EVERYONE, reading this, I am really sorry for starting over but I felt like this version was much better planned and written than the first one. Those who commented before and liked the previous version, please give your feedback on this one. I know, reviewing the story over from the first chapter may seem stupid but I poured my all soul into this and want to know if this is an actual improvement from the original.**

 **ANY and ALL feedback is appreaciated.**

 **Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Questions

**That's me again~! Did you wait too long?**

 **I hope you guys liked the previous chapter. I think I am sticking with this version as final one. (Let's not jinx it though.) As _Natsu Is Awesome_ pointed out, pretty much everyone can use the nanites to access the abilities they give. The reason for that is that, as much as I enjoy such stories, I am NOT a fan of the whole "Chosen One" routine. Most usually, the main character is always some "special snowflake" that can do something the others cannot. And, sure, it is cool and all, but often the times it ends up being the contrived "only he can do it" plotline which I don't like.**

 **I take a great deal of inspiration from _Coeur Al Aran's_ works, especially in how he represents the idea in _"Not This Time, Fate"._ If you are a fan of RWBY and want to read an _original_ and _engaging_ Time Travel story, then this one is for you.**

 **Now then, REVIEWS!**

 **Overrated Pendragon: Yeah, that is one of the main ideas I want to develop. I really the tropes about Personality-Power connection and wanted to show how Izuku reflects this. As for Trigger, no. Heroes just _theorized_ that it is Trigger. The drug is still the same as in the original canon.**

 **Natsu is Awesome: Agreed. Another problem I have with harems for the most part is how it is always one of the two: 1) Guy is perfect and has _everything_ that the girls want even if the girls in question are different from one another, or 2) The girls become _identical_ to each other safe for some small traits. And, yeah, I just didn't feel happy with how I worked on the gem (Peridot is Best Girl) and didn't like how much everything was rushed. By the way, thanks for that video on dating sims. It was really helpful.**

 **GirugameshPanda: Thank you. I also felt like the previous versions were a tad bit too rushed and didn't portray much in terms of characters. I mean, as much as I tried, it still felt lackluster and jumbled. Hopefully, I will be able to keep it the same quality or improve it.**

 **Arxhaelogist: Thanks, that's what I was aiming for. I really like how you bring up the same things on my mind. But I aim to go a bit deeper into things like "Is it really bad if you are saved by a glory hound?" or "How much heart means when you save people?" and stuff like that. And once again thank you for writing long reviews like yours. They make me all warm and fuzzy.**

 **I hope this one will stick to me.**

* * *

 **Now that I answered your reviews, let's get on with the chapter!**

* * *

Hanabira Atsushi was an asshole. Plain and simple. No sob story. No pity-seeking excuses. No nothing. He didn't need any reason to do things the way he did. He liked who he was, after all.

His father always said only those strong prospered in life. If you wanted to live good, then you played nice. But if you wanted to live _wealthy_ , you needed to spit on the morals and be ruthless. Those meek and shy would be taken advantage of by those who had the strength to act. That was why he felt no shame as he bullied those around him, establishing himself as the top dog among his peers and juniors.

At least, he was honest with himself. He didn't hide behind fake smiles if caught by teachers. He didn't have anyone else do things for him. If there was something he wanted, he did it on his own and was ready to face the consequences of his actions. And he was fine with his lifestyle.

At least, he used to until the Sludge monster attacked him.

As he lost control over his own body, he couldn't help but wonder if it was karma finally giving him the bill for everything that he had done. It seemed fitting to him. All his life, he used his fists to make a reputation and gain authority over his peers. And now he would end up some freak's puppet because of his strength. That didn't mean he didn't try to fight against the monster. Oh, try he did but the monster was just too strong.

He never wanted to be a hero. But that didn't mean that he would be happy with whatever things the freak wanted to do either. And yet, what could he possibly do? Persevere, his stubbornness and pride said. But the rest of him? It was screaming to beg for mercy.

He always thought he could face the retaliation for what he did. Given, he never expected to be in this kind of mess but he still thought he would at least manage to stay calm in any situation. But, as the monster's voice kept listing atrocities he would commit using his body, Atsushi couldn't help but beg the heavens for help. And when Deku decided to try and save him, the bully wondered if God was lazy that day.

And yet... he was safe now thanks to the same nerd he bullied over the last few years. Why the idiot decided to save him, he never got to ask. Dek-... Midoriya was gone before anyone arrived and he hadn't seen him since then. He knew that the nerd wanted to be a hero. But wanting and actually putting your life at risk were two different things entirely. Which was why Atsushi decided that the moment he was out of this place he would find Dek- er, Midoriya and get him to talk.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him of the need to eat. On a second thought, he would probably eat some _real_ food since the meals here sucked. And then he would find Midoriya.

He couldn't help but sigh in annoyance as someone knocked on his door. If the karma didn't punish him enough by having him attacked by some villain mud, then it certainly did enjoy his suffering at the hands of some ugly ass nurse. Seriously, why couldn't he be taken care of by someome younger and hotter? Then again, food, as nasty as it was, was still food.

The door opened, his eyes instantly catching the plastic bag of snacks and fruits which made his mouth water. The one holding the delicious food was, however, less than nice to see. He didn't want to see him again that soon.

"What are you doing here?"

 **HVH**

What was he doing here?

Izuku asked himself the same question over the last two weeks. Ambulance and police arrived an hour after the entire thing ended, finding only Hanabira and still unconscious villain. He wasn't sure then why he ran away. Maybe because he was still in shock from what just happened. Maybe he was afraid that whatever thing he became would attack someone. Or maybe he just didn't think.

It might have been an adrenaline rush. Some sort of shock-induced hallucination but that night Izuku swore he could hear some voice whisper to him. Its words were quiet and weak but held the simple command that he followed almost instinctively: Run.

And so he did just that. He never looked back and, in hindsight, it left both his bully and the monster alone. He was relieved to find that the former was safe in the hospital and the latter contained in the prison cell. However, that relief also came with the confusion. Why didn't Hanabira tell on him? As far as police and his parents were concerned, the villain was knocked out by some 'crazy vigilante'. It was a good excuse. Vigilantes were not in the database of the Heroics Association and, thus, couldn't be tracked down. And since most of them stayed low, it was a low chance anyone would be able to recognize them.

But why?

"I want to know why you didn't tell police about me?" He looked at the guy, who simply refused to meet his eyes. Any other time, Izuku would gladly leave the company of his bully as soon as possible but today wasn't your normal day. He wouldn't leave without answers. "The use of Quirks in public to actively engage in combat is illegal and can ruin any chances of pursuing career in heroics."

Just one quick conversation and his name would be blacklisted in all heroics schools. Just a few words and his dream would be out of his reach forever. He saved Hanabira's life but him doing anything for the bully never stopped harassment and mistreatment. He had to know for sure. If only to calm his heart and not worry about it anymore.

For the long five minutes, the bully said nothing, but it was clear that he was deep in tought. His usual expressions ranged from cocky to angry to bored, so the look of deep thought and doubt was new to him. With sigh, the brunette gave an answer that really surprised Izuku.

"Because I am not complete asshole." He scoffed and looked at the ceiling, still refusing to look at him. "I take your money. I beat the shit out of you more times than I can or want to count. I make your life a living hell on daily basis."

Hanabira gritted his teeth in frustration, though whether it was directed at him, Izuku wasn't sure.

"And yet you kept getting your ass kicked to help me?" He chuckled bitterly and Izuku felt that it took every ounce of the guy's will to say all of these things. He made it sound like some bad joke. A humorless jest that held nothing resentment. "You know..."

"If it were me in your shoes... If I had the perfect opportunity to get rid of an asshole like myself..." He finally looked him straight in the eyes, expression hard to understand but the small smile on his face the mixture of sad and confused. "I would gladly let him die. Didn't you think about that, even for a second?"

He did. He felt ashamed at saying this but at that time, a part of him - a major one at that - kept screaming at him to run and leave the guy to die. He couldn't do anything - or thought that he couldn't - since the villain was so much stronger than him. That was good excuse. The type that parents and peers would accept without thinking but it wasn't the truth. Not entirely, at least.

When those black monsters attacked, he risked his life even though there was nothing in his arsenal but a metal pipe and his own body. And yet he rushed in to save two complete strangers without much thought. What made that situation different from the one with his bully? The person in question.

He had known Hanabira for a long time. More than enough to learn everything that he thought he needed. He knew that the guy was pretty average in academics but made up for it with cunningness. He was easy to irritate but kept his temper in check most of the time. He had serious control issues and hated being told what to do by those he considered inferior. And didn't that sound a lot like his former childhood friend?

But the most important, to Izuku at least, part was that the guy was a bully. Through and through, your typical shounen manga delinquent that enjoyed asserting his influence over the weaker students through brutal force. Izuku's life would become so much easier with him gone. So much less stressful and pleasant. He didn't even need to do anything but run. Just do nothing and run.

And his bully would be gone, either in prison or dead.

"Then why did you do it? Why risk your life when you could stay safe **and** get rid of me? Are you going to say that you are not angry at me? That you don't hate me?"

No, he hated him. Hated with every fiber of his being. Not only because he was a bully but also for what he represented. Just some punk lucky to be born with powers. Izuku hated people like him. Those who were blessed with powers but used them like that, like some toys for their own fun and others' suffering. He hated Hanabira just as much as he hated his own weakness.

Then why did he do it? Why did he save him? He hadn't thought much about it with the whole mystery around the Quirk or whatever that thing was keeping him busy. The answer didn't take long to appear in his mind. Maybe, deep down, he knew it all along. But voicing it was another matter entirely. He gulped in anxiety and decided to just let his heart talk. No planning, just everything he ever wanted to say.

"You are right, I wanted you to suffer. All those times you beat me... All those times you exploited me like some slave, I... I wanted you to feel what I did." He looked at his hand, the memories of bruises and cuts from beating resurfacing in his mind. All those hurtful words and mockery played over in his head as he closed his eyes. "After everything you put me through, everything you did to me... There was nothing at that time that I wanted more than just leave you to that villain."

 _Some hero I am..._

Heroes never wished death upon another person. Even against the villains as deranged and dangerous as Toxin Chainsaw or Muscular, they wouldn't use lethal force unless they absolutely had to. Heroes never abandoned anyone. Heroes always saved and protected. They were ready to give up their own lives to save another person. But the part of him wished he could just let the villain take the bully's life.

It would be so easy. All he needed to do was just run as far away as possible and let the villain do whatever he wanted. He wouldn't be punished or looked down on for doing something like that. After all, he was just a civilian, two or three years younger than the victim in question, and Quirkless one to boot. There was nothing he could possibly do. Nothing people could blame him for.

"But I couldn't do it." He whispered and looked straight at Hanabira, his voice full of resolve. He went over the same question over and over again. And each time, he arrived to the same conclusion. "No matter how much I hate you, I can't just run and abandon anyone if I can help them. Not even someone like you."

He always thought he would take at least some pleasure in the pain of the bully. Maybe it was just what many people thought about? After all, when someone treats you like dirt, don't you secretly wish something bad happened to said person? You could spend entire hours thinking of how sorry they would be for hurting you. How they would apologize and beg for forgiveness.

No matter how many people seemed to cheer and roar for violence and brutality, very few actually enjoyed it. Sure, on TV screen with all actors never spotting anything more than some cosmetic bruises, it all looked amazing and cool. But the reality was much more gruesome. And watching someone else suffer wasn't a pleasant sight. There was no relief. No satisfaction. Nothing... But fear.

"And what if you died?" Hanabira asked, eyes lazy and unimpressed but nevertheless sharp and piercing. The question caught him off guard and the bully used it to drive his point further. "Are you seriously telling me that you were ready to die if the situation asked for it? Even if you ended up a cripple or a corpse, would you still do the same thing?"

Would he? The picture of his death appeared in his mind: his bloodied and crushed corpse unrecognizable and hideous. The image sent shivers down his spine. A single thought "I don't want to die" flashed through his mind.

"Yes." He didn't hesitate anymore. As long as he managed to save someone... He would happily sacrifice himself. After all, this is what heroes do. They put their lives on the line and are ready to throw them away if it means saving someone. "Even then I would do the same. No matter how many times it would take, I would give up my own life. No matter what."

 _At least, you are saying you would._ Wasn't that what people always said to themselves? That, given circumstances and choice, they would do the right thing? Just like all the self-righteous people said they would help the poor and the hungry only to avoid beggars like plague? Just like so many straight A students said cheating was bad and dishonest but did it once their GPA was threatened? They - all of them - were nothing but a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites that enjoyed feeling better than others. _How different are you from them?_

"Tch," the older boy chuckled, the treacherous thought fading away. Izuku blinked and shook his head, ridding himself of the less than pleasant thoughts. Where did those come from? "I guess you really are a hero, eh? Seriously though, just what happened back there? If you could use that badass Quirk all the time, I doubt you would let the others push you around." His eyes narrowed as he looked him up and down. "Unless you are into it, but then it makes you a masochist."

"I AM NOT!" His face burnt bright red in embarrassment as the teen laughed at his expense, any residual discomfort from those thoughts gone. Now he felt uncomfortable for an entirely different reason. "It sort of... just happened, I guess. When I was on the brink of blacking out, something just snapped inside of me and, next thing I know, I am trying to kill-"

The memory was still fresh in his mind, the sickening feeling in his stomach as good as new. The sensation of flesh under in his hands as he squeezed, trying to end the monster's life. To end the bully's life.

"...both of you."

The horror and pain in both pairs of eyes as he came closer and closer to finishing what he wanted. Whether Hanabira understood it or no, but it was him who eventually saved all three of them. He managed to regain control but he came _this_ close to the point of no-return. One minute more and two people would be dead... One minute too late, and he would be a murderer.

Monster.

"So that's it? Sounds lame," Hanabira said bluntly, taking the bag of snacks from Midoriya and diving into it like a man starved. If there was anything he wanted to say about the attack, the bully kept it to himself. For that, Izuku was very grateful to him. "So? How are you going to train it?"

Train it?

"What do you mean?"

Hanabira rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. "What I mean, you dumbass, is that you should start testing what makes this power of yours activate. It's not like you can wait till villains kick your ass to use the power, right?" Izuku could see the smug grin as Hababira mumbled something about him possibly being a masochist. "Don't tell me you gave up on that dream of yours? To be a hero or something?"

Like hell he would.

"I didn't but how do you expect me to do it?" Izuku asked as he looked at his hand. The faint memory of the cool feeling around his skin and the power it gave making his heart beat faster. "But... I might not have time..."

There was a good reason why late-bloomers were considered as inferior heroes: No matter how much effort they put into training, they could never pull off the same results as those who had Quirks since age of four. The reason? A simple matter of comfort. To try and perfect control over your Quirk at the age of fiteen would be no different than learning to walk all over again.

"Did that stop you from throwing yourself at the villain just a week ago?" Hanabira challenged, the sheer amount of frustration taking him aback. "You were ready to apply for Yuuei even when you thought you were Quirkless! And now you have the power which you just need to understand and you are giving up? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's not that-" Not that what? Not that easy? But it was. He was indeed just this close to making his dream a reality. And he was beating himself over not knowing how this power worked? This was ridiculous. "But where should I train? It's not like I can use my power in public without knowing how it works."

Using Quirks in public was sort of like jaywalking. Illegal in the eyes of the law, but more or less acceptable and a daily occurrence. As long as nobody was hurt or put in risk of getting injured, some people could overlook it if only because someone heating a burger with his powers wasn't worth a police report. But that worked well only when you understood the range and effects of your abilities. For someone like him, who could potentially turn into a murderous monster, this was no safe option.

"I think I might have a place in mind."

 **HVH**

Kitsushiro was nothing special. Well, unless you counted her growing up as an orphan as something extreme in the world where wearing a spandex was a career. Aside from her ability to change hair color on a whim, she was just your average college student struggling to make both ends meet and in search for some extra cash to spare on her needs and wants.

Unfortunately, in addition to lack of any job experience, her appearance was just like the rest of her: average. So it was no brainer that the girls with much less skills and more looks were preferred to her, a normal looking girl with no spark and charm.

She almost despaired when a sudden opportunity presented itself in the face of a handsome and polite young man who said he could use her skills in his own restaurant. She wasn't quite sure what he meant but one quick look at the paycheck she would be getting pushed those thoughts back.

A few weeks prior to her first day, she even saw the place herself just to make sure it was not some scam or an attempt to kidnap her. And boy was the place big. It had all kinds of tables and seats, suited for clients with Quirks of all kinds and sorts. The place was seemingly tailored to accommodate heroes if the amount of security equipment was anything to go by.

She never knew that the place would be swarming with villains when she arrived. Her first instinct was to run or call the police but, before she could even reach for her cell phone, she was quickly pulled aside and briefed on what was happening.

According to the manager – the same young man from before, who looked out of place with his gentle and fragile appearance – their restaurant was something akin to a haven for criminals of all sorts. They were treated like normal people and, in exchange, acted as more or less upstanding civilians themselves.

She never believed it was possible. But the money she would get here were big and beggars could never be choosers. So, with anxiety and worry, she started working in the restaurant for villains.

And, surprisingly, she grew to like it here.

While she struggled to see criminals and supervillains as normal people for the first few weeks, they acted quite tolerant towards some slip-ups and looks she sent their way. She even spilled a drink on some man and expected him to murder her right there and now, but he just laughed it off and even apologized!

A few weeks after, and she didn't see crazy monsters and criminals with superpowers but just people. It was kind of eye-opening to see people who lived by stealing and killing acting like your average salarymen. Some of them came here for some small conversation with a bartender, some just wanted a nice meal without people watching them like ticking time bombs and some just wanted a piece of normality in their own lives.

Today, however, was not a peaceful day.

"P-Please..." the man three times the size of her whispered and sobbed, his voice dry and teeth hanging loosely out of his mouth by the thin piece of flesh. "S-Stop..."

The man's name was Ryurai, the boss of the local gang named White Wolves. He wasn't anything big yet but certainly shared a lot of dreams with her and the other patrons. A few weeks ago, he announced that he and his men hit the golden mine and bought drinks for everyone that night.

But it seemed that the metaphorical gold already had an owner.

In sharp contrast to most people here, who preferred casual wear, the man was dressed in light brown pants and woolen vest with the white shirt underneath it. His skin was slightly tanned but surprisingly spotless, without even a hint of wrinkle or mole on his open neck and face. Combined with his combed hair and thick-framed glasses, the man gave off the aura of your typical scholar.

If it were not for the events of the last ten minutes, she would believe he was.

The other men closed their eyes and turned away as their boss' head was smashed into pieces with the crowbar, staining the black metal red. The blood and brain matter splashed all over the floor, the sight gruesome and sickening enough to make some of the tougher guys kneel and pray for their lives. The red tainted his clothes even further, but the man seemed to pay no mind to it as he took out the piece of cloth from his pocket and bothered to wipe only his glasses.

He did so after every single murder.

She was faking with fear, eyes hastily jumping from one corpse to another. Every single person... she knew the name of each and every one of them. It all started so peaceful... His voice was calm and polite as he asked the gang to step outside and follow him into the car. But the men refused and the thin veil of manners over the voice started lifting higher and higher until he simply ordered them to follow.

They refused.

The massacre followed shortly after.

"Now..." the man drawled out, his green eyes as sharp as blade and as cold as the numerous corpses around by now. "can anyone here, _please_ , explain to me how you managed to lose the drug that we provided for you?"

None of them dared to speak. The woolclad man only sighed and brushed through his dark brown hair, the blood stained gloves adding the hint of red to them. His eyes stayed closed for a moment more, the feeling of dread spreading through the people inside like a plague. Opening his now pale blue eyes, he looked at them with the look of indifference and apathy.

"Okay."

One second.

Just one single second was all it took for the room to become red and black with blood and gore. All the people inside - those whom she grew to see as patrons and even friends - were gone. And only the pieces of flash were left behind. Organs and intestines were scattered all across the floor. She shook as she felt the same hot wet feeling all over her skin and hair.

She felt no shame as she broke down in tears.

"You," the man's voice was cold as he glared at her and took a step forward, ignoring whatever mess under his feet entirely. She couldn't help but freeze in fear as the man's aura reached her. It was the same non-threatening and peaceful feeling that the man radiated. Even as he was drenched in blood. "Who are you?"

"A-A waitress," she whispered, too scared to even try to lie. She was just a waitress. A bloody waitress! "I-I work here... I swear, I don't know anything! And I won't tell anyone about what happened here!"

She looked around, whatever security manager hired dead or dying and the only people who could fight having fled long ago. All she could do now was just try to plead for her life as desperately as she could.

"Really? You don't know anything?" She nodded, tears streaming down her face. "And you won't tell anyone what happened here today?"

She nodded even more furiously, the safety so close to her that she could almost taste it. That was one of the place's policies: You kept quiet about whatever you heard and always pretended nothing bad happened if some hero came snooping around. This was her ticket to safety. Her-

"That's too bad."

Death.

Before the girl could even scream or realize it, he smashed the crowbar into her head with all the force of a dashing train and speed of a speeding bullet. The brain and bone mixed into one fine mess as her headless corpse hit the floor. He frowned at the slight pain in his hand as the small cuts and bruises formed all over it. The man only wiped his glasses clean again, the lenses shining in the room's light even as his form was soaked in red. Reserting to such... crude measures was the lowest of his priorities but the situation required him to do so.

At least, that was what he would put in his report.

"What a mess."

It had been three weeks since the gangs under Smile's supervision went berserk and into the city. Three weeks since the heroes caught the word about their new weapon and went after them. Three weeks since he had been assigned to tying any and all loose ends before it was too late.

That idiot...

He couldn't help but frown at the recklessness of the idiot who thought some more data was worth heroes learning about them and their experiments. Because of him, they had to take much more precaution and time to test out the nanites now. The small and petty gangs and misfits were vast across the country and easy to dispose of should such need arise. But finding the ones with enough brain to follow orders and not stand out was a task much more problematic.

And ever since the incident, the police and heroes started tracking down the patches and kept much closer look at the gang affairs. Spies of Eraserhead and heroes like him were infiltrating the gangs, fishing for information. With heroes on their back, more and more gang members and street rats started asking unnecessary and annoying questions, sooner or later, one of them would have to fight against the professional hero and draw even more attention to them.

He wouldn't let that happen.

They distributed the first few bacthes among any and all that would survive through the ordeal. Out of twenty inititial groups of recipients of nanites, only six gangs made it and lasted only three days more. They used the acquired data to improve the technology and now had solid fifty percent of living recipients. They went over and over the same process, working out every single problem in the system but only recently did they achieve the first big step.

Nanite-Prime was something akin to the Queen Bee of the swarm of nanites. One single nanomachine which would keep all the rest under control. It took a lot of their resources and time to create the working model from the prototypes Hasume-san had but they finally got it: the first breakthrough in their work. And then, for God knows what reasons, their supervisors decided to have Smile in charge of the entire first series of the improved nanites.

Smile was a rookie, with one lame one codename at that. Some crazy creep with no background and his identity secret to everyone but their leadership. Most of the time, he acted like some hammy villain or comic relief from old sentai shows. And now the entire fiasco with the monsters' rampage made the man's death all the more desirable. He wouldn't attempt it now, however. Despite the questionable choices his supervisors made, he was still loyal to them.

Like the true warrior for his cause, he would follow their orders without doubt or hesitation. And once the fool made his final mistake, he would be sent after his head. The order in which he would take no more and no less pleasure than in any other.

"And now to cover the tracks," he whispered before sending several of his people a signal through the secured channel. Not even a minute later, they already entered the place with black bags in their hands and numerous packages of weapons and drugs. The owner of this place made well sure that mst heroes didn't know about this place and no authorities were aware of criminals coming here. Framing this place as some underground base was as a walk in the park. But it wouldn't be enough yet. "You know what to do."

Several more people came, all dressed in different clothes of white and gray. And, just like well-trained dogs they were, two men and one woman started working their magic. If there was anything to thank God for, it was the Quirks. Even though he believed those made a lot of people lazier than needed, certain abilities sure came in handy in situations like this.

One snap of a finger: several still warm bodies were thrown onto the floor.

One gentle touch and they knew what Quirks whatever corpses had. That made it so much easier to paint the entire massacre as some villain on villain fight gone wrong.

"Wait!" the man - the only living person not part of their group - was thrown out of the white card like the corpses before. "Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!"

And, of course, all they needed for the whole thing to work was just one small thing.

A witness.

One touch of the woman's hand against his forehead and the man's eyes misted over. He knew that the job would be done. By the time heroes or police arrived, all they would find was just a club serving as a joint for selling weapons and drugs, numerous criminals killed at the hands of their rivals and a mumbling mess of some poor guy would lead all of them on a wild goose chase.

While that would provide them with some time, the fact still remained: they needed to tighten the collars around the mutts' necks. They had too much freedom. Too much leniency from them. And now they were paying the price for it.

If only they did as they were told, these punks would be alive. They would get to trash around more of their rival gangs over some petty cash and machismo and, in return, their research and development department would receive the fresh supply of raw DNA data they so desperately needed. But alas, the idiots thought they had the property right over the nanites and utilized it without knowing the price. And for what?

Just some cash they had no use for now.

His phone vibrated, the annoying tune of some Disney movie started playing over and over as he fought against the urge to smash it against the window here and now. Picking up, he didn't even bother to look at the name of the caller and said, "I will strangle you with your own intestines for that, Smile."

"Oh come on~!" the man chuckled on the other end of the line, the sounds of screams and grunts and groans in the background. "I know you loved Frozen! Who doesn't love Frozen? Only-"

"What do you want?" Was it too much to ask for some less moronic person to be under his command? "I have just dealt with your mess."

"Eesh, you are no fun, man." The fellow agent sighed before his voice became a bit more serious. "I am finishing with the last subjects in Mutsufasu city, as you can probably guess by the sounds in the background. Out of all two hundred seventy six recipients of the nanites, I have successfully retrieved data from approximately to hundred and sixty nine of them. That deserves some praise, don't you think so?"

"What about the rest?"

"Almost done with the last one!" The screaming ended and the man sighed. "Something wrong?"

"The nanites cannot be tracked so there is the possibility that someone simply hid theirs from you." He stated in simple but also stern tone. "Additionally, there is the five per cent failure rate, which means that approximately five out of hundred nanite patches can fail to retrieve and send the data back to your device. Are you absolutely sure that you left nothing behind?"

"And what if I did?" the man laughed as if it was a joke. "Please, if someone actually stumbled across a patch by chance, then there are two possible outcomes. One, this person turns into the beast and gets killed off by a hero. And two, it simply doesn't work."

"We had around thirteen people actually manifest different properties of nanites when bonded with them, for starters. Plus, seeing that heroes failed to acquire the 'living' nanites, they will most probably try to subdue the monster instead of killing it." He said and wished he could smash the words into the fool's face. Was he really that naive? "And, as for your second, theory, even after the command signal deactivation, nanites still can function."

"So?" the man asked, clearly seeing no problem. "We can always just send in the Cleaver and be done with it."

That was... a good point, actually. It had been some time since the fat bastard pulled his own weight. Not to mention, using him would make some spare room for his own tasks. He wouldn't praise the fool for the idea though. It was only once in a while thing that didn't deserve any recognition from him. "Fine, but be warned: Any failures on your part onward will be directly reported to Wrath. I am not covering for you anymore."

The man chuckled on the other end of the line, "Works for me. But be warned," the man mocked his voice, "the same applies to you. Just because some street rats didn't screw you over doesn't mean somebody else won't try it."

Without much left to say, he ended the call and concentrated on the road. But even as he focused on the wheel, the words of the local jester kept replaying in his head. Just one slip-up on his part could have cost him his reputation. Just one minor mistake and he would lose a major chunk of his credibility. In a matter of afew months, their operations would move from here and no races should be left by that time.

 _I will work on them in my spare time,_ he tought, calming himself down. If, by some miracle, anyone still possessed the nanites, then he would personally eliminate them. A few less hours for his hobby was a small price to pay when it came to his standing in the organization. All he needed right now was patience. Sooner or later, those rats would show themselves.

It was only a matter of time.

 **HVH**

"I hate you."

"Yup."

Izuku glared at the smirking bully that only shrugged in response and announced a short break. Izuku collapsed on the cold ground and let out a long sigh, his body numb and exhausted. His breath came out in short and heavy pants before he reached towards the bottle of water.

It had been two weeks since the visit to the hospital and the start of his training. As he gulped down the last drops of water, Izuku couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the place they were in. There wasn't much in terms of equipment but it had just enough place and junk lying around to train on it.

And no people around.

It was a small district on the outskirts of Mutsufasu city. One of the several parts of the giant city that never recovered after one too many attacks by the villains. With too much destroyed, the local authorities did their best in helping people move away from here but not rebuild this place.

"Oi, Midoriya!" Hanabira called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Get off your ass already. No time to daydream."

His knees were shaking and his body was sore from all the hits and kicks but he ignored it all and took the fighting stance. There was a lot to say about Hanabira but he certainly didn't pull his punches. That's why, as soon as both stepped inside the imaginary ring, Izuku closed his eyes and concentrated.

He imagined a small orb of pure black. Neither solid nor liquid but something in-between. He pictured it at the center of his being, beating in rhythm with his heartbeat. And then he imagined how, with one slight push, it would start bleeding. The tiny rivers of black would spread through his entire body, binding together with every inch of his flesh. It would grow and spread together with blood until it was part of him entirely.

Outside, the tiny drops of black started appearing on his skin. They felt cold, neither solid nor liquid. More and more black spots appeared all over his hands before connecting with each other, wrapping the limb in tight yet comfortable material.

He wouldn't get to the end, however.

He barely blocked the steel-coated fist coming at him, the black material on his hands strong enough to withstand the blow. He felt his concentration slip and had to focus now on keeping the control of whatever substance was on him.

"Still having trouble?" Hanabira mocked as he pressed on, pushing him back. Unfortunately for him, the suit didn't cover anything besides his arms and part of his torso. While his training regimen was starting to show results, he had little strength in his legs. "You need to transform faster!"

The bully got him right in the chest, making him gasp for breath. If it were not for the suit covering that area, he would end up with some broken ribs. He didn't have time to contemplate the potential injuries as the guy just kept attacking.

Just like Izuku asked him.

He theorized that the power manifested itself when he was in danger. Just like in case of Sludge villain, his powers were at their prime but with him having little to no control over his actions. However, he couldn't rely on fear as the trigger for his abilities. And neither could he use the minimum of his potential. He needed to find a way to activate his powers voluntarily and keep himself in control.

Meditation, as cliché as it sounded, was his first option. To try and concentrate on whatever pieces of memory he had of the night it all began. The cold sensation of the metallic and yet liquid substance moving across his flesh and skin. The rush of the energy through his veins. The sense of power unlike ever before. He felt it all over again, but more controlled. Less chaotic and bestial. No more rage or fear.

 _Just calm down and breathe,_ he told himself as Hanabira aimed for his face. _Don't let your guard down. Don't lose control._

"Woah!" he jumped, higher than a Quirkless could ever hope to. As the time seemingly slowed down, he saw, at the edge of his vision, how the black tendrils and spots grew on his legs. Descending down, he drew his fist back and grinned in excitement. "Here I go, Hanabira!"

The steel clashed against the black, two foreign materials whispering against each other. Izuku couldn't help the satisfaction at the gritting of Hanabira's teeth as he was pushed back. The suit increased his stamina, strength, speed and agility as well as provided protection and accelerated healing. That much he learnt from the first days of using the suit to see how much of a boost it granted him. But, as he recalled from the night of his fight against the Sludge, it obviously had more to itself than just that.

Something he was going to find out.

Jumping back, he held out his hand and concentrated on the guy in front of him. He could feel the tiny specs on his wrist move, their number growing bigger and movements becoming more chaotic. And so it grew and grew bigger and faster until the thick black tendril shot forward and-

… practically pierced the bully's head.

"Okay... Not exactly what I had in mind."

Hanabira's eye twitched dangerously, "'Not what I had in mind' my ass!" He growled and pointed at his head, "You could have killed me, you son of a bitch! The hell did you try that for even?"

"I… I have been trying to see how my powers could be used in disaster and relief works." If he could use these tendrils as ropes and capture people with them, he could increase the reach and amount of people he could save. Every good hero had versatility to their Quirks and themselves, after all. "B-But I guess it could use some work."

"… Just make sure to not kill anyone. You will be sued out of your pants, you dumbass." Hanabira scoffed as he went to have another bottle of water. "You still up for more?"

Izuku let out a deep breath, the black slipping back into his skin. The strong feeling of nausea and exhaustion washed over him, his body collapsing onto the ground. His breathing was much more labored than before and Izuku felt like he was on the brink of fainting.

"I guess that's a no."

If there was one thing he disliked about his powers, it was just how much they ate him. As long as he was wearing the suit, partially or fully, he felt much less exhaustion and pain but, the moment it came off, he experienced the serious backdraft. The fact that the period he could keep up the black form varied from case to case also didn't help.

"Take a break, Midoriya," Hanabira tossed him a towel. "After that, we are focusing on your physical training. No point in wearing a fancy suit if you are a limp noodle underneath it."

No arguing here, Izuku shrugged as he relaxed on the cold ground. He would train his body. Then his powers. Then he would do it all over again. And once he was done… Once he was strong enough, he would ready.

To make his first step in the world of heroes.

 **HVH**

Katsuki wasn't an idiot.

Despite what many of his classmates or teachers might have assumed, he was far from a moron. He knew that strength wasn't just enough to get far in the game they called life. Some people thought that most heroes were just dumb muscles, with brains enough to punch and block. But Bakugou knew that, in real life, it took much more than just some powerful Quirk to get a spot under the Sun for yourself.

He also wasn't stupid enough to think that just by being better, you could stay on top. You always could find stories of heroes from around the world - one trick ponies that thought powerful Quirk was enough - who eventually fell behind those who had imagination and could think outside the box.

And he did his damn best to make sure he never ended up like one of them.

He also was much more observant than most people gave him credit for.

Sure, he would lie if he said that he paid attention to every single extra around him. After all, most of the people in his school were hardly worth any attention from him. They all were weak. Some were just weak in terms of raw power. The others didn't have the guts to be important. And then there were those who were both of those.

Namely, a certain Quirkless loser.

They used to be friends. A long time ago, when both didn't know better about the world around. When both believed they would grow up to be heroes. When Katsuki didn't know yet just how much of an annoyance Deku would become.

 _Heroes must be strong._

That was the simple truth Katsuki learned for himself. If you were weak, then what could you do? You couldn't save anyone. You couldn't defeat anyone. If you were a powerless idiot, all you could do was just die along with whoever you tried to protect. The strong should protect the weak. And the weak should stay out of heroes' way. If the world followed this simple guideline, things would be so much easier.

But it was the real world. With more than enough variables to make this simple rule impossible to obey.

Deku was the prime example of why.

People like him... They all were the same bunch of selfish and stuck-up morons who couldn't see past their childish dreams. With their eyes behind some rose-tinted glasses, they believed that being a hero was only the matter of effort or will. But that was far from the truth. In the end, it would be the heroes who had to fight monsters and disasters. It was the heroes people would pray for and rely on.

Who in their right mind could rely on someone as weak as Deku?

Just like that time when he fell into the water, Deku would act as if he could help. As if he actually could be a hero. But Katsuki saw something else in those green eyes as the idiot held out a hand for him. It was this disgusting sense of self-satisfaction the fucker took in helping him. He could see past that stupid expression of innocence and witnessed the part of Deku that disgusted him the most:

He would do heroics regardless of his power.

If someone was in the burning building, he would jump in and only make things worse. And for what? Just to feel himself a hero? Just so that he could say that he made a difference? The very thought of someone like him made him sneer in disgust and anger.

The shrink always got on his back over him bullying Deku. But didn't he do the same thing but with sugar-coating shit? In the end, both of them understood that the idiot wouldn't be a hero. He simply couldn't become one. It was not said out of malice or some pettiness. It was the fact.

But did that little shit listen? Of course he didn't. He was too busy chasing after the impossible, too blinded by his childish delusions and fantasies. He could only hope that the moment he failed exam to whatever school he applied to and then would get out of his sight for good.

But recently, something felt different about the class nerd and outcast.

Visually, there was no change aside from some more color in his skin. He still acted as if someone would attack him for speaking too loud or too bold. He still mumbled incoherrent mess under his nose when caught up in something. And he still kept writing those stupid journals he always carried around. By all accounts, it was still the same Deku in flesh and blood.

Still, despite his own brain dictating otherwise, he knew that something changed in him. It was nothing significant at first. But as the weeks passed, he started noticing other things change in Deku's personality. Nothing major, barely enough to register on anyone's radar. But the changes were there. He just needed time to find what exactly was different about him now.

Turns out he wouldn't have to wait for long.

PE class was a good way to stay in shape. Most of his classmates preferred to play soccer or just run to some convenience store and laze around. But with their new coach - whom Katsuki suspected of watching way too much anime for his own good - they had much less time and opportunity for such things instead focusing on the "Champion Training" as Toraharu-sensei called the series of exercises he came up with for them.

Throughout the entire course, he barely broke a sweat. Nothing new though. As hard as it was for of his peers, Katsuki didn't train his Quirk only. His body needed to be at its peak state by the time the exam rolled in and he wouldn't allow himself anything less than absolute best. What did surprise and confuse him, however, was how well Deku performed.

Sure, he finished only the eighth and was out of breath. But he was no near the level of exhaustion he usually displayed after finishing the last before. Then the other exercises came and, once again, he saw Deku perform at least on par with most of the classmates who had much more endurance and stamina than him. And something told him that it wasn't even his best yet...

He didn't have an opportunity to approach him about it, however, as the coach decided it was time for some recreational game of soccer.

Two captains were picked, both of them fighting over whose team he would be on. After reluctantly walking over to Shoga's side, he continued to observe Deku, noticing some new things about him. For some reason, he looked nervous and kept trying to hide his arms. The brief thought of drugs being involved shot through his brain but it quickly got dismissed as he saw no marks on his hands.

But if it wasn't drugs, then what could it be?

"Start!"

The game began like every single one before. While using Quirks was strongly prohibited, it didn't mean some kids didn't use them for some harmless fun. Or an advantage over your opponent. Sensei was, luckily, quite chill about the whole thing as long as no windows or bones were broken. The girls cheered on as the guys tried to show off with some fancy moves, which were bright but inefficient.

Which is why he could steal the ball so easily.

Breaking through whatever defense the opposing team had, he didn't bother with anything but the net, his goal. Just like he always did. His eyes narrowed as he saw none other Deku stand there, his form shaking and eyes wide in fear and worry. It was no brainer why he always was on the goalkeeper position. Weak and useless ones stood there, after all.

But there was something in those green eyes that made his blood boil. Among the fear and worry, his anxiety and self-doubts, he saw the excitement and arrogance. He could see that Deku believed he could take the hit. He saw in his eyes that the little shit wasn't afraid of him. That he wasn't a threat.

He raised his foot, something inside of him urging him to add some extra power to the kick.

He listened.

Kicking the ball high enough, he jumped and used the Explosion to give himself a strong spin before kicking the ball with the maximum power. He heard the people gasp in shock or even yell out the warning as the ball flew towards Deku like a missile. He felt the annoyance and anger melt away, replaced by the growing shock at what was about to happen.

And then...

His world started crumbling to dust.

 **HVH**

It was like facing the dashing train.

The horror gripped his heart and his body refused to move. If it were an anime, the ball would probably catch on fire with all the speed it had. And yet to him, it all looked slowed down. His eyes went down and widened as he saw the black spots of liquid manifest all over his hands. His body didn't listen as he raised his hands, now fully covered in the jet black skin.

The hollow explosion followed, the dust rising in the air and cloaking around them. He coughed and opened his eyes, trying to see what happened. Only to be met with the shocked looks of his classmates and sensei as they started surrounding him from all sides.

"Woah!" Someone exclaimed as he rushed over to take the remains of the ball out of his hands, the black on his hands suddenly sprouting tendrils that tried to take the pieces of rubber back. As the classmate yelped in slight shock, Izuku willed for the suit to calm down. Slowly, the black vanished back into his skin, leaving no trace behind. "How did you do that?"

"That was badass!"

"Is that your Quirk?"

Seemingly an innocent question made everyone fall silent for a moment. Just one moment before the small crowd started bombarding him with questions. Was it his Quirk or not? How did it work? What else could it do? And the other numerous questions he himself had yet to find an answer to. So he dodged and avoided answering any of those, only thanks to the luck of having every other person interrupt another's question and the teacher soon telling them to quit it and get back to the game.

He wouldn't get away so easily though. For the rest of the entire day, Izuku could feel his classmates' eyes on his body. Sometimes he caught them looking. Their eyes were filled with different complex emotions: amusement, curiosity and disbelief. As the time went by, rumors started appearing as well. He heard them whisper and hush to each other, catching only the tiny snippets of their conversations.

Some people thought it was nice of whatever God he believed in to finally grant him a Quirk. Some were busy wondering what exactly his Quirk was. And then there were those who thought he always had it but kept hiding it for one reason or another. In the end, however, no one approached him on the subject.

The school day finally came to its end and Izuku was ready to go home.

"Oi, Deku."

He froze in his place as the familiar voice cut through the sudden silence in the classroom. Whoever still remained in the classroom stopped in their tracks as well and watched him slowly turn towards Kacchan. His expression was eerily calm but his eyes were as sharp as blade and harder than steel.

"Let's have a chat."

His day took a sudden downhill.

Again.

 **HVH**

As the small crowd of the fellow students gathered around them, Katsuki couldn't help the urge to tell them to fuck off. This matter was supposed to be resolved between the two of them without audience. Unfortunately, such was the people's nature, he guessed. They might speak against violence or whatever during the ethics class but the moment they have an opportunity - even a chance - to watch someone beat the shit out of another person, they were no better than vultures.

That didn't shake his resolve anyhow, however.

He always had a nagging feeling about Deku. But until today he didn't take him for a liar. An idiot? Yes. Useless and delusional child? That one as well. But not a liar. But other than a lie, what could his sudden reveal of possessing a Quirk be? If he had a Quirk all this time, then that meant that he was playing a weakling all this time. The very thought of it made his blood boil.

"... How long?"

"Hm?" The green haired pretender feigned innocence, eyes wide in shock and confusion almost genuine to the eyes of those watching. But he saw through it and looked straight at the smug and arrogant smirk the teen displayed behind his facade. "What do you mean, Kacchan?"

He gritted his teeth in aggravation, eyes narrowing as he glared at the obvious lie. "Don't play dumb with me!" He growled out, ignoring the yelp of shock that came in return. "I want to know how long have you been hiding your Quirk?"

And why? Was it just some kind of play for him? All these years... Was he doing it just to gain sympathy and pity from those around him? Or was it his pride that was in danger? Did he believe his Quirk was so weak that he might as well just pretend he had none? There were a lot of possible explanations and theories but none would be as good as the truth.

Even if he had to beat it out of him.

"I-I swear, Kacchan, it is not like that!" He raised his hands pleadingly. "I am not hiding anything!"

Just more lies! There was no way this was true. During that match, he didn't looks surprised or shocked when his hands were covered in black. He looked concerned but not in a way that implied he didn't know what happened. He knew what happened to his body and why. And, if his behavior for the last few weeks was any indicator, he had known it for quite some time by now.

"I-I mean, yes, I have a Quirk now but it is not how it looks like!"

He didn't want to listen anymore.

"I finally get it..." A hollow chuckle escaped his lips as he glared at Deku. "It all makes sense now."

It all finally came together now. How could he not see this before? All this time he was just playing freak's game and didn't know better! Right from the start... From the very beginning, it was nothing but a game for this little shit.

"W-What?"

All those times he pretended weak and powerless, it was nothing but an opportunity to look down on him. Deku just wanted to rub in his nose that he would need help from him. And all this time... All those times he made himself look weak and defenseless... He just wanted to play him for a fool. Fake being Quirkless and then use it to his advantage.

"All this time..." He whispered, his heartbeat racing and blood pressure rising. "You have been looking down on me, weren't you? Saw me as a fucking joke!"

"N-No! That's not true!" The steam rose from his hands as his eyes narrowed down on Deku. "Look, Kacchan, please let me expl-"

"Shut the fuck up!"

He moved fast, brain not even giving his body the command to attack as he planted a palm against Deku's chest and used his Quirk. With a cry of pain and shock, the bastard was sent flying. He saw the same black that he despised so much pop up all over his exposed skin in tiny drops before they started to move and coil like snakes.

 _How fitting,_ he thought with a sneer as the small explosions started going off on his palms. None of the spectators dared to interrupt or even try to stop him as he closed the distance between them. He glared at the arrogant prick and growled out, "Get up."

"K-Kacchan, you don't have to do this." He stammered, refusing to give up the charade despite everything. He had to give it to Deku, he was a damn good actor. "Please, stop before anyone gets hurt!"

 _"Before I hurt you."_ was the silent message and it only made his temper worse. "You think you can actually do something, huh? Just because you have a Quirk doesn't mean shit, Deku!"

He was done with the games. Deku would learn his place here and now.

Once and for all.

 **HVH**

Ichikaze knew both boys. Who didn't?

One was the prodigy in their school. And rather vocal one at that. She didn't exactly dislike Bakugou but the boy could certainly take some lessons in humility. Some very big lessons in humility. Most of the time, he acted and talked as if he would die if he didn't boast his superiority. No wonder that he didn't have any friends other than those two lackeys.

As for Midoriya, the girl couldn't say anything positive either. Sure, he was much better than Bakugou but... She didn't like him. Maybe it was her upbringing (the belief that you need to isolate yourself from the potential losers) or her surroundings that played the role in her view of one greenheaded nerd, but one thing was certain: She would never like Midoriya Izuku.

At least, that was what she thought until a few days ago. When she was saved by the same boy she actively ignored. Armed with nothing but some metal pipe, he bought her time to escape. He didn't have to, didn;t need to. No one would blame him for that. But he still risked his life to let her escape to safety! Her, the girl that might as well be a complete stranger. That night she promised herself to treat Midoriya just like she always should have. Without any prejudice, like any other classmate of hers.

"YOU BASTARD!"

She could only watch in horror as Bakugou went ballistic on Midoriya. He charged forward, the eyes burning and hands blazing. The primal roar that tore through the air made the ash blond look more like a monster or a beast than a human being. There was no more thought to his actions as he grabbed Deku by the collar and started what only could be described as savagery.

Had he always been this way?

She, like many other classmates, knew that the relationships between two former friends were strained at best and outright hostile at worst. They knew about teasing. They knew about insults. But had Bakugou always been this violent towards his childhood friend? Maybe it was just the result of long and brewing hatred that finally came to light. Or maybe they were just that ignorant of what was happening between the two.

The latter seemed so much closer to the truth. And it made her bite her lips in frustration and disgust at herself.

"DIE!"

This line always seemed so childish and immature whenever Bakugou lost his temper. While they all were wary of him or respected his power, there was no denying that the angry yells of wishing death upon someone made him sound more of a bark than a bite. And yet the same line, now filled with wrath and furry, sounded anything but stupid. It sounded like a final sentence. The last words you gave before taking someone's life.

She heard Midoriya cry out in pain as he was slammed against the wall and gasped as she saw Bakugo started delivering punches with explosions going off at point blank range in the green haired teen's face. She looked at her classmates, wondering if anyone was going to actually do something about it. But, as she expected and feared, all she received were averted looks full of guilt. She would call them cowards but she had no right to do so.

Not when she herself just stood and did nothing.

"Say something, damnit!"

She never expected to see such brutality so close. Holding Midoriya by his collar, Bakugou growled before throwing the teen on the ground and stomping on his chest. Midoriya didn't cry or even cough as the boot pressed harder against him. Was he out cold? Would Bakugou calm down and leave him be? Her hope of that happening died as she saw Midoriya grab the ash blond by his ankle into a vice grip.

"..."

She heard Midoriya whisper something but it was so quiet that he might as well have been mute. Bakugou didn't catch that either as he narrowed his eyes and leaned down towards the battered teen.

"The hell are you saying, you bastard?"

"...et... go..." she heard him say hoarsely. "..ge... ay..."

"I can't fucking hear you!"

The last line was delivered together with the kick to the jaw, the sickening sound of bone getting dislocated making girls and boy gasp in shock. The grip Midoriya had on Bakugou's leg, however, didn't weaken. The ash blond hissed in what must have been the first time she saw him in pain as the hold around his lib tightened and Midoriya raised his head.

"I said..." he whispered, his face concealed away from others but visible to Bakugou. The expression shock with the hint of fear said it all about what he saw. "Get..." another hand grabbed Bakugou by his leg and this time they all heard the small cry of pain as Midoriya's fingers - were those claws on the tips - dug into his flesh. "...away..."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock and their jaws dropped to the ground as Midoriya - the weak and powerless Deku - lifted Bakugou, arguably the strongest student in their entire class, and threw him away like some ragdoll. Crashing through the nearby trashcans, Bakugou's expression was that of pure bewilderment and confusion. Just like everyone else's.

"Just what the hell was that?"

"Did he just seriously-"

"No freaking way."

"Look!" One of the girls exclaimed as she pointed in Midoriya's direction. They all followed her hand and froze as they stared at Midoriya. Or whatever that thing was. "Is that... Midoriya?"

The black spread and now covered his entire body. The long dark tendrils whipped around him, coiling and stretching as if they had their own life. Midoriya's expression, however, was neither victorious nor confident. His posture held much more fear and anxiety than he ever showed before (which was quite the feat to accomplish). As the black spread across his flesh further, the green haired boy looked almost terrified.

Bakugou was the first one of the two to snap back to reality.

" _What_ are you?" He hissed, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Just what did you do to yourself, you fucking nerd?!"

 **HVH**

 _Kacchan..._ Those red eyes. They were so filled with hatred and anger. Not even a hint at whatever bond they used to share. _Just what is happening to you?_

Why did they end up like this? Why couldn't Kacchan believe him, for once, that he wasn't lying? Was it so hard to believe him? Izuku bit his lower lip in frustration at his former childhood friend. The black spread further, still cautious of the threat the blond presented. Its tendrils hardened and sharpened around the tips, ready to go on offensive. He couldn't let that happen.

He looked up, the eyes of all the gathered people on him. He thought that today would be the start of a new chapter in his life. A small change, some more confidence and maybe he would feel accepted by his peers. But as their staring continued and more hushed conversations started, Izuku couldn't help but wish he never showed his powers. He wished everything was just like before.

And so, ignoring the questioning looks from all around, he turned his back to them.

And ran.

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 **Izuku, Izuku, Izuku, Status Quo is God is a trope for a reason!** **12K+ guys! Sorry that couldn't post the chapter faster! I just didn't feel it was good enough until now. Really wanted to try out the new approach to the training location and the Quirk revea. Like in my _Soul of A Hero_ story, Izuku doesn't feel anything good about fighting Kacchan for no good reason and doesn't take pleasure in hurting anyone at that matter. **

**So what do you guys think? Was it good? What did you like? What you didn't like? Long reviews make the chapters faster and longer and me happier. That's an old saying I learnt from some guy I totally didn't make up! Till next update! LONG REVIEWS, FOLKS!**


	3. Chapter 3: New Perspective

**Hello! Didn't see me coming? Well, I AM HERE!**

 **Not sure if I can manage to upload chapters one after one each Sunday/Monday but I will do my best, folks. I am currently working on the rewrite of** ** _Soul of a Hero_** **and some RWBY stories so if you have suggestions or just some time to spare, please check them out. Before we start on the chapter, let me just say thanks to all those who give me nice long reviews. These bad boys are what pushes me to update faster guys. Not the muse or some inspiration. I don't believe in those. It is all on you guys. It is you who give me strength and drive to write more and faster. I hope the same can be said for quality.**

 **Also, at the end of the chapter, please check out a small announcement regarding the course of this story. Once again, I am taking Coeur Al'Aran's lesson and want to hear your feedback on it.**

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 **For some reason, some people said they couldn't leave any reviews because of the site thinking they already did. I talked to a friend who had a similar problem so he advised me to re-upload it all over again. Also, I added a thing or two here and there just to change the chapter a bit.**

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"You ready?"

As both of them took fighting stances, Izuku concentrated on Hanabira's frame. It was something he read up on the Internet. If you analyzed your opponent, you could possibly predict his movements just by the slightest hints his body automatically gave off. Seconds before their spar began, Izuku saw the former bully move his foot back slightly and his frame shift forward. He would go for the direct hit. The metaphorical bell rang, Izuku immediately held up his hands in defense.

Only to be tackled to the ground in the most brutal way.

He had barely enough time to cover his hands in the protective black as Hanabira started raining blows down on him. Damn it, he must have read him wrong. He doubted his improvised armor would stand the constant offense for long. He needed to do something and fast! thought the cracks started spreading across the black, the assault slowed down and Izuku could guess why.

Using an opening, he punched Hanabira in his cheek, making the bully lose his balance. Not allowing him to recover, Izuku stood up and made some distance between them. Of course, he could have gone for broke and attempted an attack but, with his defense compromised, he would rather make not risk it. The steel-fisted teen probed around his mouth with the tongue and chuckled, "You are lucky I lost no teeth, Deku."

With the renewed vigor, the older kid clashed his fists together and grinned hungrily.

"Can's promise you the same," He added dangerously, "So you better give tihs one your all, you little bastard!"

Izuku took a deep breath in, glad to have the opportunity to gather the strength. He felt the black grow and spread from his knees, elbows and shoulders, covering his limbs in thick black armor. Together with his training gear – a simple white shirt and blue shorts – the shining black material looked strange but it mattered little to Izuku as he went into fighting stance.

Before, Izuku would be intimidated the perspective of fighting the bully. But now?

"Bring it!"

He wasn't scared.

Hanabira was the first one to attack. It was neither arrogance nor stupidity, however. The bully thought he played it well but Izuku could see that he wouldn't do so if it was a real fight. Both of them had impressive levels of strength and endurance with Izuku winning in speed and agility. However, Hanabira had the experience even if it came from some low-level fights with his peers. Still, he had some basic training in boxing and an average experience in street fighting.

Jumping ahead without thinking was never a good option. If you picked any random martial arts movie, they always talked about following your instincts or something along those lines. But, to Izuku, that was one of the worst possible approaches. He once read about how scientists theorized and discussed that the main reason why humanity survived and became the dominant predators was thanks to their ability to think. You didn't need to even go that far. Most successful predators relied on strategy and tactics, as primitive and simple as they were, instead of some killing instinct.

The same applied to the fights.

If you and your opponent were equally strong and fast, that would only give the latter an opportunity to use your own momentum and openings to turn them on you. In real life, where Quirks easily ranged from strength augmentation to deathly touch, such things were no laughing matter. In their case, both knew more or less about each other's powers. But in real combat, he wouldn't always have such luxury.

And Hanabira understood it perfectly. But he also knew that someone needed to start the fight. Or else they could spend hours waiting for the other to make the first move. To make the first mistake. It put him at disadvantage but Hanabira seemed fine with it. After all, he hadn't exactly lost any of their spars yet.

Hanabira showed him some basic boxing moves. Nothing more complex than punches and a few kicks thrown in between. In a fight between beginners, the moves would be slow and careful. But between two Quirk users? It must have looked quite impressive. They were in close proximity to each other, fists flying between as they blocked and dodged and clashed. Hanabira tried to stomp on his foot and, when he dodged, proceeded to attempt a high kick. Luckily, his reflexes were sharp enough to be avoid it, if only by hair's breath.

Hanabira wasn't going to let him rest, however. While recovering from shock, Izuku was met with the barrage of blows and kicks. Step back, dodge to the left, duck. He parried the incoming fist with his forearm and grabbed the guy by the wrist. He was about to pull him in when the bully dropped down, another fist curled and much harder than the first one. It was aiming for his groin. Izuku's eyes widened as he tried to release his grip on the guy but the latter only used his hesitation and shock to quickly grab his arm and slam him into the ground.

Izuku cursed himself but quickly rolled out of the bully's way before he could stomp on him. The boots he was wearing were heavy with steel, which made them dangerous weapons in the guy's hands. On his feet, in this case. He raised his hand, eyes focused on the approaching bully. He grinded his teeth as the burning feeling spread across his entire arm, the feeling of billions of tiny dots moving erratically inside his flesh.

The black tendril shot forward, catching Hanabira by surprise. He drew his arm back before lashing the tendril against the former bully like a whip. It was not as fast as he wanted but the strength behind it was enough to push the guy to the side. Unfortunately, Hanabira recovered quickly and grabbed the tendril with vice like grip. He tried to make it disappear but it wasn't obeying his will.

Stomping hard enough to make a dent in the floor, Hanabira pulled him by his tendril. He tried to resist but the sheer surprise combined with the guy's impressive strength made it futile. With a mighty roar, the former bully started spinning him around the room like ragdoll. Faster and faster, his world turning into a whirlpool of grey and black. He wouldn't go down that easy though. The tendril was long enough for him to be just near the walls and he used the opportunity to regain partial control of his movement.

Running across the walls as the bully tried to make him lose his footing, Izuku lowered his hand slowly. The small claws on them dug into the surface, cutting through stone roughly. He would stop himself there and now just by piercing into the wall deep enough. But that would also give him a dislocated shoulder. Not something he wanted to explain to his parents once they were home.

Before Hanabira could throw another one of his tricks, Izuku planted his feet hard against the wall. He could feel the power build up in his legs, the feeling of the black specks running through his blood and flesh. The adrenaline rush overtook him as he practically flew towards the bully with his fist drawn back, ready to deliver the finishing move. Hanabira's eyes widened in shock and then...

He saw Kacchan.

The black tendril fell apart just as the rest of his black suit faded into nothing. The momentum he gained pushed him into the ground, the cold surface of the floor greeting him with pain. "Ow..."

"Something on your mind?"

"It's nothing," he spat out, his tone betraying him. "Seriously, let's get back to training."

Hanabira narrowed his eyes but didn't protest. He summoned the black back and charged forward, eyes trained on the bully. His fist shot forward, missing him by an inch. Hanabira used an opening to knee him in the gut, kicking the air out of his lungs. He ignored the pain and grabbed the bully by his shoulders. The bully hissed in pain as he headbutted him before proceeding to attack.

Solar plexus. Ribcage. Knees. Shoulders. He kept delivering a blow after blow, adrenaline rushing through his blood system like wild fire. The sound of his heart pounding against his chest was the only thing he heard. Hanabira wiped the blood off his lips and glared at him, the aggravation and anger obvious. He charged, hands armored in steel and ready to give him hell.

And he didn't care.

"Alright, it's break time."

What?

"I can continue." He said stubbornly. "The fight isn't over."

"No, it isn't," Hanabira agreed. "But I think you have something else on your mind right now. Seriously, what is going on?"

He turned away, not wanting to say anything. The events of the past week were... nothing pleasant to talk about. Ever since his fight with Kacchan, the atmosphere at school changed a lot for him. It was ironic. He had spent so much time dreaming of the moment he stood up to his former friend and gained the respect of his classmates. And now it was reality. Sadly, far from what he could enjoy.

"Let me guess, it's about you and Bakugou?" His eyes widened in surprise. How did he know that? "Don't look shocked, Midoriya. News travel quite fast. Especially when a nerd kicks some loudmouth's ass. That's pretty much the only interesting thing that can happen around, excluding villain attacks of course."

That made sense. Their schools were quite close to each other. And, in the past, Kacchan got into fights with many high schoolers over... something. He wasn't sure what most fights were even about. The only thing he knew was that he emerged victorious. And with far more hatedom each time.

"I don't want to talk about it," he grumbled, his black suit fading away.

"Nah, I am asking anyway," he shrugged, ignoring his request. "What's so bad about it anyway? You kicked that loudmouth bastard's ass and that makes you the top dog in your school. What's not to like?"

"I didn't want it to be like this. I didn't even want to fight!"

"Did you?" He raised an eyebrow. "If you didn't want to fight that bad, then why not run?"

Because... It was...

"See? Hate to break it to you, Midoriya, but you are not a saint," Hanabira chuckled. "And there's nothing bad about it. The guy had it coming. And, whether you realize it or not, you wanted to kick his ass."

That wasn't true. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to abuse his powers like that. Or did he? When he thought about it, could it be that, on some level, he knew what Kacchan wanted and still went through with the ordeal instead of fleeing at the first opportunity? The more he dwelled on this thought, the more possible it seemed. He had been keeping all the negative emotions regarding Kacchan bottled up for so long and grew so used to hiding them... Could it be that he really wanted to fight him?

He wanted to think that he didn't want it. But how could one trust himself? People weren't that easy, after all. Even if they thought they knew what they wanted, it wasn't always true. Denial and self-serving memory proved that much. But if he really did want to hurt Kacchan, then wouldn't that mean he was no better than him?

Or that he was even worse?

"I... I didn't mean to," he said, more so to himself than anyone else. "I just... I didn't want to hurt anyone."

But he couldn't control this suit. That was what he told himself over the course of the last few days. He assured himself that it was the lack of control that caused all of this. And that was why he focused so much on honing his skills. _Or maybe I just want to hurt Katsuki even more?_

He shook the thought off, instead retelling Hanabira how the little changed his school life. He was no longer picked on. When their teacher mentioned he was applying for Yuuei like Kacchan, nobody laughed or mocked him. Some people actually approached him a couple of times. They acted friendly and nice, inviting him to hang out with them. He often fantasized about a moment like this. The episode when his life took a new turn and he was accepted by his peers.

But, like so many things these days, it wasn't what he expected.

He wasn't blind to the looks and hushed conversations behind his back. Every once in a while, he could hear a few people whisper about him and his terrifying power. Scary. Weird. Unnatural. Those were the words thrown around their conversations. And while some people approached him and tried to make amends, there were far more of those who stayed away from him. In their eyes, he was no longer the weak nerd Deku.

Instead now he was a threat. Someone dangerous and volatile.

A ticking time bomb.

Wasn't it ironic? He used to be ostracized because of being Quirkless. Because people didn't want anything to do with a cripple. And now that he had the power, they wanted to stay as far away as possible. He just changed one type of isolation for another.

And Kacchan?

"We haven't talked ever since," he muttered, unsure of why he said that. "H stopped bullying me but... The way he keeps glaring my way doesn't promise anything good to come. Maybe he is plotting revenge?"

He admired Kacchan. Or used to at least. But whether he respected him for the great power the ash blond had or not, there was one major flaw in him. The kind of flaw that could be exploited and could backfire with fifty-fifty chance. What kind of flaw was he talking about? Pride.

You didn't need a degree in psychology to see that it was an integral part of his character. Some would say that it was bordering on narcissism and arrogance. And most of them would hardly be wrong. For as long as he knew Kacchan, the former friend always was praised and encouraged by his peers and their teachers. He was constantly told that he would succeed. That he was special. And that got to his head.

And this pride was something one should never touch. There were a lot of people who tried to knock Kacchan down a peg. It was never anything big like those manga gang fights. But they were nothing to laugh at either. Quirks were still Quirks, potentially dangerous weapons that could turn deadly in the wrong hands. He fought against speedsters, strongmen and emitters. And always emerged victorious.

With pride of his opponents crushed under his foot.

"And now I am on his shit list," he sighed, wondering how things went so wrong. Sure, he was on that list before. But he didn't doubt that now he had a much higher position there. "Just what am I going to do?"

Hanabira shrugged and scoffed.

"Deal with it," he shrugged at his accusing look. "Look, I never had trouble like you because I am fine with being viewed as dangerous by my peers. But you? You can either embrace your newfound status or do what you always did, Midoriya: Work through it."

Huh?

"Sure, that won't be easy. That's why I prefer to go with the flow. But, if you really want to be seen as who you are instead of what your powers are, then you have a lot of work to do. But you know what?" He chuckled. "I think you can actually go through with it. Because you are just too damn stubborn to give up. And sooner or later, your classmates will forget about that incident and treat you like before... On a second thought, maybe you should just stick to being the new tough guy."

He chuckled at the light joke, "Thanks. I needed that."

Hanabira sneered.

"Now don't go soft on me, you piece of shit," he stood up. "I didn't forgive you for almost knocking my teeth out. So until I knock you around enough, you are not leaving this place. So get up and get the shit beaten out of you!"

He only smiled before standing up.

"We'll see about that."

 **HVH**

Schools were never places people went to receive education. They were taught how to go through the motions and certain processes but nothing more. Schoolwork always dulled the sharpness of minds and focused far more on technicality rather than approach. Schools were the places where potential and imagination usually died. And that's why, naturally, most students distracted themselves with socializing.

Katsuki never really bothered to do any of such. As far as he was concerned, everything but his studies and training was a waste of time. He wasn't in this school to make friends. He was here simply because such crappy school would make him stand out even more once he climbed to the top of the world of heroes. The lackeys that kept following him, the haters and enviers, the asskissers and the rest mattered little to him.

Despite what he thought about schools in general, Katsuki always loved coming to school. Not because of the lousy food or moron for a teacher, but because it reminded him of how different his _real_ life would be. In a matter of a year, he would graduate this shabby place and go on to carve his name into history as the world's greatest hero! No boring schoolwork that he could do with eyes closed. No shit-tier idiots for classmates.

And certainly no Deku.

He used to see things this way. But the events of the last few days were actively breaking this picture apart. Not only did Deku reveal that he had a Quirk all along, but he also gained the massive support from their class. He heard it all. He heard people praise Midoriya, practically kissing his feet. He heard them cheer him on as if he was some bigshot whenever they played some sports. And, of course, he heard more than a few things about himself.

 _"He had it coming for a long time!"_

 _"Yeah, the guy's a total jerk! Finally someone brought him down a peg."_

 _"Nice job kicking his ass to the curb, Midoriya!"_

Some people – lesser people – would lash out. They would feel offended and try to make their own tale of how they weren't as bad people thought. He considered such guys pathetic. He made his choices and knew what kind of image they painted. But did he regret those?

Hell no. Katsuki couldn't care less about what the rest of the class thought about him. Let them call him whatever the hell they wanted. Asshole. Jerkass. Bully. Let those idiots spout whatever they wished to about him. He didn't want to change himself just to be liked. It was the coward's way of dealing with people.

He was fine with who he was.

"Hey, did you hear about that fight a few days ago?"

"Haha, yeah! I guess Bakugou isn't all that strong, eh? I mean, beaten up by Deku of all things? That's just sad!"

"Shh! He is coming this way!"

It was fun, wasn't it? How those guys were ready to mix his name with the dirt as if they meant anything. And yet it took only one glare in their direction to send the guys fleeing. He sneered in disgust at the lack of any backbone. When he wanted to talk trash, he did so like a real man: face to face.

He decided to ignore the shushing and whispers as he continued his pace towards the class. No doubt they were talking about him. About the fight between him and Deku. He wanted to blow up at them and tell them to mind their own business. But that wouldn't mean anything. Not if he dealt with the problem this way.

He couldn't just blast his way through this though. No, thanks to a certain wind-blowing bitch, the teachers were keeping an eye out on him way more. Figures. As ignorant or incompetent they were, the staff had enough brain matter to see potential risks of allowing him to use his power on Deku. The instances of a few kicks and punches were nothing special. Blowing the nerd to pieces? Now that was something the lawyers would kill to have their hands on.

But did that mean any change for his plans? Definitely no. For all the surprises over the past few weeks, his plans weren't affected much. He would graduate at the top of his class. Ace whatever test Yuuei dished out for him. He would train till his bones were aching and pain became an everyday thing. And then, he would announce to the world that the new top hero was on his way to the stardom.

Yes… He would do all of that.

Right after he crushed Deku under his boot.

His eyes narrowed as the nerd entered the classroom, all smiles and innocent. What a bullshit. He knew what he saw. He knew just how much of a manipulative bastard Deku was in reality. But if the idiots wanted to eat his shit and ask for seconds, it was their choice.

He had better things to do than that anyway. If there was one good thing that came out of the entire ordeal, it was that he was reminded of something important. Whether he liked to admit or not, but he must have grown lazy. He still worked out and still trained but he wasn't driven like before.

He simply forgot just how easy one's status as the strongest one could be put to question. All it took was just one miserable piece of shit to get a strong Quirk. He wouldn't let that nerd get ahead of him though. For all the things he hated Deku for, he couldn't deny that the little piece of shit would work hard on his Quirk. And that meant that he would do just the same.

If that nerd wanted to compete against him, then who was he to stop that idiot? But by the time they took the entrance exam, he would make the difference between them unconquerable. And as he crashed any and all opposition, he would make everyone there realize just who they would now stand against.

The Next All Might.

 **HVH**

"What?"

He must have heard her wrong.

"I am sorry, Ichikaze-san, what did you say?" The girl in question just smiled wider.

"Do you want to have lunch together?"

Okay... He didn't mishear her. But that still didn't help his confusion, not in the slightest. He never had much opportunity to socialize with his peers. Most of the fellow guys ignored him, girls being no better. He never spent much time outside until now and so it hardly came as a surprise that he had difficulty talking to his peers in general, let alone girls.

 _I am talking to one right now!_ He thought, his heart beating faster. Not from any feelings towards the girl in front of him, but rather from the sheer excitement. It must have sounded quite dismal when he thought about it. Just how socially awkward could he get? "A-Are you sure it's alright? I-I mean, I would love to but- what about your friends?"

He tried not to sound like he was fishing for pity. One brief look was enough to see some of her friends looking their way, suspicion and slight hints of fear present on their faces. Ichikaze only giggled in return and said, "They are just a bit curious about you, that's all," she grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled. "Come on, let's hurry up! I don't want anyone to get all the deserts before us!"

Nodding along, he followed behind her. After a minute or so, she let him go, probably sure that he wouldn't run away. It had been a long time since he ate at cafeteria hall. After one too many dumpings of leftover food all over him, Izuku preferred to spend his lunches alone on the roof. Fresh air, all space for him and no one to ridicule him. And yet now here he was, sitting together with a group of six people, himself included.

The girls and a couple of boys engaged in a small talk over stuff like movies and shows they watched as he only silently observed. It was funny... He never realized just how much in common he had with his classmates. Maybe it was just his isolation, but he forgot that, Quirkless or not, he was still a teen just like them. While not a big fan of sports or cars, he did share the same tastes in movies and literature as most of the group.

"I am just saying, anime should really stay just that, okay?" Renga – the one who could buff up on a whim – said as he chewed on his bread. "All those live action adaptations just suck. The actors never look anything like the characters and CGI effects look so cheap!"

"And I think we should respect the effort the people behind these project put into films like this," Fujokusa-san said as she adjusted her glasses, a fork levitating above her finger. "It's not like actors can pull off the same expressions as anime characters do. There are no giant sweatdrops or chibi-like faces in real life. Well, unless you have a Quirk that makes it look so, and even then it is extremely creepy."

"By the way, you heard of that new movie Wonder Studios is working?" Aozora-san quipped in, her long blue hair standing up in excitement. "I can't wait to see Arachknight in cinemas this summer! This is going to be so cool! I heard that the real one will even cameo in it! And there are rumors he will even star in the sequel!"

"Nah, I think the Legion will kick their asses, box-office-wise," Nikuyari chuckled. "I mean, the live action of the iconic superhero team which existed for generations can easily beat some wallcrawling teenage drama."

"Yeah, after their two _great_ successes," the bluenette snorted. "Seriously, the first three movies were just so dark and grim! I mean, is the director allergic to positivity or something?"

The two comic book fans exchanged the heated and joking remarks back and force while he looked at the scene with wide eyes. Before, everyone seemed so different from him. Even without Quirks, they seemed so unreachable to him. And yet here they were, sitting and talking about the same stuff he often thought about.

"By the way, you heard about Slaughterhouse?" All eyes turned to Ninjin, his eyes hidden behind the orange bangs but smile positively shit-eating. "Come on, you never heard of it?"

Ever since the majority of the population got Quirks and new laws were establish to better regulate and control them, a lot of people in entertainment industry saw an opportunity for the new way to win the public. As less and less people remained Quirkless, industries like sports and martial arts tournaments also changed. Today, it wasn't unusual to watch football games with speedsters and one-man teams. Olympic games also changed in many ways, new records set and more challenging competitions thought up.

But nothing was as popular as simple straight-up fights. Once superheroics was established as legitimate profession, a lot of entertainment companies started pursuing them. Essentially, heroes were now the real-life comic book characters, with all the profit from the sales of their merchandise and royalties. But it didn't mean that, every once in a while, heroes didn't dish it out against each other on the big stage. It was similar to the final stage of Yuuei Festival, albeit with professionals fighting instead of kids. All profits would go to charities and restorations around the city.

However, that wasn't enough for some people. Even though they showed a lot, professionals never fought with all they had. Call it professional courtesy or showmanship but you would never see any danger on the fights like those. They always kept themselves under control and fully understood just how important every fellow hero was. The aforementioned spectators though didn't care.

So, one day, a billionaire whose name was no longer relevant decided to organize the fighting tournament of his own. No rules, no holding back. Just sheer brutality between superpowered people. There were no medics to patch up the fallen fighters. And, of course, no one to stop the match. It was the show of carnage translated over the numerous Internet channels for anyone willing to pay a relatively small price of one hundred dollars per month. Numerous people even donated large sums of money for gore and blood. Even when the billionaire was accused of organizing illegal fights, his creation didn't stop. Officially, he was as innocent as a saint.

But Slaughterhouse still remained on the Internet, making some people shudder and shiver in disgust and fear. And some – smile in glee and fascination.

"Of course I did it," Renga scoffed even as he averted his eyes. "Been there a bunch of times."

"Yeah, right," Nikuyari chuckled, biting into his sandwich. He clearly didn't believe the latter's statement but kept that to himself. "Anyway, a friend of mine overheard they are having preliminary matches just around the new mall center. Can you believe that? The honest to God Slaughterhouse in our city!"

"That's disgusting," Ichikaze exclaimed. "Those people are actually hurt, you know. How can you even enjoy something like that?"

Izuku nodded in agreement. He loved fights between professionals because those were just a show. But actual fights between Alpha-humans? That was hardly anything to take pleasure from. He once happened to stumble upon an old recording of one of the matches. A kid with sandy blond hair and bloodthirsty red eyes stepped inside the ring and literally tore through his opponent. What disturbed him even more was the absolute glee the boy, that was no older than him right now, displayed upon stomping on his victim's heart.

"Oh please," the redhead shrugged, probably rolling his eyes. "Don't tell me you actually believe those fights are real. It's all just for a show. They just go for the whole dark and edgy theme with some fake blood and all. And the dead bodies? Please, there is a reason why only small groups of people are allowed to watch them in real life. I bet the guys behind it have the latter sign some non-disclosure contract and stuff."

"I heard rumors," Fujokusa-san interrupted, her eyes serious. "There are a lot of people on the Internet who can attest that it is all real. The people who fight there are nothing but criminals and psychopaths."

"People say a lot of stuff on the Internet," Aozora-san smiled, "I mean, that's Internet we are talking about. Search around and you will have them all, from space pirates to self-proclaimed reality warpers!"

"Why did you even bring that up though?" Renga asked, a thick eyebrow raised. His eyes widened as the realization dawned on him. "Wait... Are you saying that-"

"Yup!" The guy grinned and showed off a plastic card. "My brother managed to get it for me for my birthday. Free entrance for me and my friends. Isn't that cool?"

It was. Despite having a dislike for the tournament, Izuku had to admit that getting something like that was no small thing. The entire thing was quite shady though. It wasn't exactly normal for someone to hand out access to something illegal to just anyone.

"You sure your brother isn't just pulling your leg?" Renga looked skeptical. "I mean, those places aren't exactly for kids like us."

"Oh, is that so?" Ninjin grinned. "Then how about a bet? We go there next weekend. If we pass, you guys have to sing me a birthday song on Monday dressed like Mountain Ladies. And if we don't, I pay for the next karaoke outing. How does that sound?"

One after one, the rest of the group voiced their agreement. He, however, couldn't be there. "I am sorry, but I have plans for the next weekend already." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly under collective stares. "Y-You see, I have some training to do and-"

He was interrupted as both guys suddenly stood up and looked him straight in the eyes.

"What?! Training?! That's awesome!"

Wait, what?

"By the way, what is your Quirk even?" Fujokusa-san asked, as she set her empty plate aside. "Is it some kind of living armor?"

"Well," that sounded quite close, actually. Albeit it wasn't as much living as it was simply active. "It can enhance my strength and speed. Also gives me quite the resilient defense."

"Sounds cool," Aozora sighed. "I can turn my hair into water but that's about it. Must be nice to have some awesome power like yours."

The bitterness rose in his stomach. They were telling him that? He couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. For him, even something as small as her power used to be the object of envy. And now he was the one they considered lucky? Ironic indeed.

"But seriously, what's the deal with those tentacles?" the redhead guy asked amused. "Those looked quite cool. How many of them can you make?"

"Not much," at least, willingly, he omitted. "I can make two or three but they are hard to control."

"Still cool though," the musclebound boy grinned. "We should have a spar some time!"

Please, no. He had enough of Hanabira already.

"Y-Yeah, sure."

His stupid stinking mouth! Why did it betray him like this?

As their small group kept up the conversation, switching from joking to bickering to teasing, Izuku couldn't help but feel more and more content with the situation. He felt accepted. He felt normal. Yeah...

That sounded great.

 **HVH**

Katsuki hated beaches. Simply despised them.

The sun was always annoying the shit out of him. The loud and noisy brats running around only made it worse. And the sand - _oh that fucking sand_ \- got everywhere. And by that, Bakugou meant _everywhere_! Still, he could enjoy, on _very_ rare occasions, some swimming or building sand castles. Not that anyone would know or live to tell about the latter. He'd kill before letting everyone know about that.

But this place? It was a fucking mess. The smell of rotting trash. The sound of flies swarming around whatever leftovers and shit was lying around. The sight of the damp this place was. And the general lack of any concern or care for the place just pissed him off. He never considered himself some eco-activist if only because most of those acted like your typical holier than thou hypocrites. But even he was disgusted by all the trash here. Fridges, car parts, buildings materials and other junk was scattered all across the beach, glass shards and metal pipes sticking out of the sand.

However, this was why this place was perfect for both training and venting out his anger and frustration. As much as he wanted to shove whatever bunch of bastards who made all this mess heads first into the trash piles, the massive amount of objects of varying sizes were pretty good damn targets and training dummies. And since no one was here, thanks to the sorry state the place was in, he could go all out!

 _But I swear, if someone throws as much as a candy wrap in here, I will blow their guts out!_ Bakugou swore internally. He would break whoever spat on his hard work. With that thought in mind, he proceeded to slam his palm against some washing machine before blowing it into pieces. He picked up three bottles and threw them in the air, eyes narrowing down on them. He held up his hand, another one holding it in its place, index finger outstretched. _Come on, come on!_

The explosion shook the air, the stream of heat destroying everything above him. He frowned as he looked down at his palm, steam rising from it. His power was enormous, no doubt about that. Without control, he could wreck a lot of stuff. But it also wore him down much quicker. Not to mention that large-scale attacks, while effective and powerful, were not always the best solution. If he anted to be a hero better than All Might then he needed to find as many ways to utilize his Quirk as possible.

Now that he thought about his Quirk more, he asked himself just how far it could be pushed. Sure, blasting explosions from your palms was badass but was it all to his Quirk? The doctor said that he his sweat glands were mutated to produce special chemical akin to nitroglycerin. The doctor pointed out "akin" as to remind him that his sweat was a special chemical in its own right. While that was something to work on, the main question Katsuki kept asking himself was: If all his glands were mutated, then why could he only use his palms for explosions?

He didn't believe that somehow, while all mutated, only a set of them could produce explosive sweat. So he tried to focus on using his fingertips to generate blasts. It was harder. Much so. He couldn't do it as easily as when using his entire palm. But when he managed to actually do it? He cast a sideways look at the solid block of metal, a single molten hole in it. Like a scalpel, the small but concentrated blast tore through the obstacle like it was made of wet paper.

And that was just the beginning!

He could only grin hungrily at the thought of what else he could do. If he could learn how to use his entire body, he could be untouchable! Just by shifting weight on his feet, he could jump as high as All Might. If he learnt how to activate his sweat on his weak spots or blind zones, he could create a strong defense and counterattack against his opponents. And then there were the concentrated explosions that could, with enough training, bring entire buildings down!

Heh... He didn't want to admit but he had Deku to thank for this new development. If it were not for that little prick, he wouldn't work on his Quirk until Yuuei. Not that hard at least. And not so thoroughly. He looked down at his palm, the sweat pouring down his skin. Hmm, that gave him an idea. With the look of curiosity, he threw his palm in a waving motion. Nitroglycerine, in its purest form, was unstable and exploded upon the slightest motion.

Something that he saw firsthand now.

As the sweat flew from his limb, he could see the small droplets ignite before the wall of explosions swallowed the trash nearby. As the metal and stone were reduced to nothing and picked up by the breeze, Katsuki couldn't help the maniacal grin spread across his lips. It seemed that his training didn't wait too long to start paying off. Then again, he always was quite quick in progress.

It seemed Deku deserved some thanks after all.

"WOAH! That was so awesome!"

Huh? Who was that?

With the mood somewhat ruined, he turned around to see what could be described as the weirdest girl he ever saw.

She had pink skin and hair, her eyes were black and gold. The fact that her hairstyle looked similar to Deku's didn't help her case. What annoyed him wasn't her appearance though. It was the look of bubbly and childish excitement that the girl had on her face. Already he could tell that the girl was the ball of energy and sociability. Something that he had no desire to deal with. He wasn't a big people person to begin with. And her type was the worst of the bunch.

Well after Deku, that is.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled out, expecting the girl to back off. Instead she only looked down on him curiously. And then she smiled. "See something funny, pinky?"

She rolled her eyes at the name and chuckled before replying in sarcastic tone, "Yeah, like I never heard that one before. Are you a comedian by any chance? If so, I would recommend a change of profession."

Alright, now she just pissing him off on purpose.

"I am busy here," he scoffed and turned back to the trash. His eyes narrowed down on her sports bag, which probably had some swimming gear since she was here. "The hell did you come here for anyway? You want to roll around in the mess around like some raccoon or something?"

"Oh, that?" She asked innocently. "I actually arrived here only a few weeks ago. I looked the place up and wanted to have a swim but, well, the beach was kind of a mess in the morning. So I decided to have a dive in the pool instead. I was on my way back home when I saw a giant explosion! That was you, right?"

The hell did she just say?

"I didn't ask you for your shitty memoirs," he rolled his eyes in annoyance. Seriously, what did the guy have to do to blow stuff up without anyone pestering him? "Go away."

"Nah, pushing your buttons seems way more fun," she shrugged nonchalantly. He took a deep breath in and reminded himself what was important. Training. Getting stronger. Kicking the shitty nerd to the curb. Getting top spot in Yuuei. And buying some new climbing gear. Yeah, those sounded just right. "So what are you? Some kind of super-janitor? Fighting pollution and dealing with _dirty_ business with your powers?"

Count to ten.

He couldn't kill her. Even if the place was empty and ocean could easily wash any fingerprints off of her, she still probably had family that would look for her. Plus, disposing off the body would be a pain in the ass. _But_ if she ended up a villain in the future, he would savor blasting her brains out of her skull. Yeah, that picture definitely helped his mood.

"Hey," he shook his head, snapping back to reality. Only to see her right in front of him. "You wanna help with that?"

He scoffed.

"Suit yourself. Just don't cry when you break a nail or some shit," There was plenty of trash around. And if the girl wanted to stink of the waste by the end of the way, it was her call. As he turned away and got ready to continue his training, he heard the weird noise behind him. Sizzling and hissing. He turned around to see a fridge melting like it was being eaten by... acid? "What the?"

"Oh, look, seems like my nails are just fine," the girl gave him a positively shiteating grin as she threw some acidic liquid all over the various junk. He should be pissed off, he knew that. After all, the more she destroyed, the less he had to blow up. But something in him begged to differ. So he focused on his own targets instead, letting the girl to her own devices. "What? Not going to tell me to fuck off?"

He shrugged. He had better things to do than entertain some freaky girl. He was above her taunting and childish antics.

She chuckled behind him.

"Suit yourself," she mirrored his remark from before. From the corner of his eye, he saw her throw more of that acid onto the trash before it started dissolving into nothing. That was some strong chemical, he had to give her that. "Just don't throw a tantrum when I clean this place faster than you!"

Then again, her could always use a moving target.

 **HVH**

"And Firechaser is out of the ring!"

Izuku watched in shock as the people carried the unconscious pyrokinetic away while the crowd cheered on the man responsible for it. He stood good three metres in height, pure muscle and bones. Bones in question were part of his Quirk. As hard as steel and sharp as blade, easy for him to take off and use as weapons. And, as it turned out, resilient to heat.

"See?" Ninjin grinned from ear to ear. "I told you, it was nothing scary! The guys behind just cash in on the whole illegality of it. People love thinking they do something bad without actually getting into trouble after all."

That actually made some sense. It was the same thing with all the romance and actions plots people loved so much. Something forbidden was more desirable. As long as it was something you shouldn't have, you longed for it. It seemed the same applied in this case as well. As he threw another handful of chips into his mouth, Izuku couldn't help but feel good about asking Hanabira for a day off. One single day off in the long training regime they set up. Surely, it wasn't much to ask for?

"Oh-oh, the next match is starting!"

He couldn't help his own excitement either. It was so fascinating. A lot of people here actually had average Quirks. But when you looked at how they used them? It was simply astounding. The man known here as Slimstreak was one example. The man stood on the stage, proud and powerful, despite how unthreatening his Quirk was considered. **[Slime]** was hardly impressive. The ability to turn any liquid on him into slippery or sticky substance wasn't exactly something to be afraid of. But then you watched the man fight and realized just how dangerous he was.

He used his sweat to create thin layer of slime around himself. And with them, he gained speed on the ring. Not to mention that he couldn't be tackled or held. And if he wrapped his arms around your neck and then stuck them like that, you were done for.

"Pss, Midoriya," Ichikaze-san tugged on his sleeve. "I am going out for some more snacks. You want something?"

"No, I am good," he whispered back, eyes glued to the fight. The opponent was good but too reckless with his punches. Not to mention how easily he was aggravated by the man's jokes and teasing. The brunette didn't move from her seat though. "Is something wrong?"

She gulped down, "N-Nothing, I just..." she took a deep breath in and sighed, eyes closed. Then she stood up and whispered to him, voice more confident, "M-Midor- Izuku-kun, there is something I need to tell you. Please follow me."

He was confused but did as asked. They passed through the seats, some eyes looking at them in amusement and curiosity. He heard a few people whisper 'dense' and 'oblivious' but he had no idea what they were talking about. It's not like she was going to give him a confession or something! She just wanted to tell him something... Alone... After the week of being so nice... Oh God, he was going to be confessed to?!

He wasn't ready!

"Man, those fights are just crazy! I wonder if they cover dental there, am I right?" She joked, awkwardly and unsure as both of them stepped outside the club. They walked over to a small bench and sat down, the street more or less free of the other people. "T-Tonight was fun, right?"

"Y-Yes! Of course," he answered lamely, nervous and anxious. Damn it, was it getting hot here or something? "I-I really enjoyed it, Ichikaze-san! That was super fun!"

Damn it, brain! Could he say anything more redundant and cheesy? If the girl appeared put off by his answer, she didn't show it. In fact, she wasn't even looking at him. Instead, her eyes were staring off into some distant place. Her expression was thoughtful and conflicted.

"Say, Midoriya-kun," she whispered. "do you remember how we first met?"

"N-No," he answered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Damn it, it really sounded like she was going to confess to him! Oh man, what was he going to do? He didn't like her. Well, she was a good friend but he didn't like her as anything more than a friend. Damn it, was he really going to friendzone his first female friend? Wow... He. Friendzoning a girl. Was the universe still working? "U-Uh, Ichikaze-san, I am so-"

She cut him off with a light chuckle.

"I do though," her lips formed a small nostalgic smile. "I transferred to Orudera Junior High during the second semester. And, luckily, I avoided any drama that always follows in manga comics. I quickly found people to talk to and became friends with them. I had no dark past to catch up to me. And neither I had any enemies to try and follow me. The life seemed pretty sweet back then."

She looked down at her feet, smile still present but now sad and disappointed. "It didn't take long for me to learn some unspoken rules though. My friends, Ao-chan and Fujo-chan, quickly told me about who to talk and not talk to. They said that, for my own good, I should have stayed away from certain people in the class, two of them being in our class. You, Midoriya-kun, were among them."

He wasn't surprised. With a small sigh, he reflected on the first year in their school. It was a new class, with only Kacchan and Yubirichi (the boy who could stretch out his fingers) knowing him. At first, he hoped it would be a clean start. An opportunity to find friends and live like a normal kid, but his hopes were soon crushed. It didn't happen just off the start though. At first, he had a small group of friends. But as time passed, that small group of friends dwindled, some of them transferring and cutting any contact with him. Most of them simply ignored any connections they had before. He didn't understand what he did wrong at first. And, in blind anger, he accused Kacchan of turning everyone against him.

He couldn't be more wrong.

Kacchan wasn't just some one-dimensional character to draw hate and make his life horrible. He was a bully, that was true. But, as he then put it, he had better things to do than rally people up against him. As it turned out later, it was just some kid. Some kid, whose face he couldn't even remember, decided to throw a few rumors around the class as a simple joke. It was nothing dramatic. No accusations of crimes but rather simple implications and hints.

 _Why is he so quiet all the time? Is he hiding something?_

 _His father is never around, I heard. Must be tough._

 _I heard he spends all his time writing something in those creepy notebooks. I wonder what those are all about._

And, just like saying goes, no smoke without fire. That was the general consensus once the rumors spread and grew. And so people avoided him, all for their own reasons. To avoid any trouble. To not be associated with the 'wrong kid'. And, sometimes, simply because in the eyes of the society he was a cripple without an injury. And those who came later? They just followed the crowd.

"I just followed the crowd," Ichikaze-san admitted shamefully, not daring to look in his eyes. He wasn't sure what he could say to make the situation better. Maybe because, in the back of his mind, he didn't exactly want to. "And until a few weeks ago, I was actually fine with that."

Those words cut him deep. He frowned even though he didn't want to show that her words got him. She must have seen that though for she sat closer and put her hand on his shoulder, finally facing him. Her lips were curled into a soft smile. "But then you saved my life."

Wait, he did it? "When did this happen?"

"When those monsters attacked," she said. "I was on my way back home from a friend when one of those things jumped at me. I managed to push it away with my Quirk but I couldn't run away from it. And then you jumped in, with nothing a pipe to use! You can't even imagine how relieved I was when you came to class on the next day. I thought you were-"

She fell silent, breathing heavy and eyes fearful.

"And since then I was asking myself the same question: When did you become like that? What made you like this all of a sudden?" She looked at him, smile sad. "Or have you always been like this? I mean, has a nerdy Deku always been someone to rush and save another person without second thought?" She chuckled to herself. "And the more I think about it, the clearer it is that you were always like this. It was just us who chose to ignore it."

He had nothing to say. All he could do was just listen. "I know that we never talked much." She sighed. "And, honestly, I blame myself for that. I was just more concerned with what my friends and the rest of the class would think if I talked to you. I should have tried to get to know you better."

He heard someone stand near them.

"We all should have."

He turned around, seeing the rest of their group. Renga, Ninjin, Aozora-san and Fujokusa-san stood there, eyes averted or downcast. Shame. Sorrow. Disappointment. Those were the emotions clear as day in their expressions.

"We wanted to apologize, Midoriya," Renga said. "Look, we were wrong to - Not exactly right in our- Oh hell, we were plain assholes to you. We laughed at your weakness. We mocked you and bullied you around because that made us all feel special. Yeah, that's disgusting and shallow, no other way to go around it. And you know what? We really should have got to know you first instead of simply following Bakugou's lead."

"You are actually quite to hang out with," Aozora-san grinned. "Especially when you start stammering. So adorable!"

"Yeah, he looks cute like that," Ninjin exclaimed, earning a few looks from them. "What? No homo, but he is just hilarious when he is confused or embarrassed. If he were a girl, I would totally ask him out."

"Too much information, you pervert. Anyway,"Fujokusa interrupted with a cough. "What we are trying to say, we want to bury the hatchet. Right here and right now. And starting from tomorrow, we want to put the entire past behind and act like proper classmates. Like we should have right from the start. The question is though, can you forgive us? As in, really forgive us?"

Forgive them? Izuku chuckled at that.

"O-Of course," he said with a smile, feeling relief at not being confessed to. Huh, that was a weird feeling. "I-I also want to put the past behind us. I... I am really happy that you want to do the same."

 _You're desperate. Desperate for acceptance. Desperate for approval. You don't want to forgive them. You still hate them. You just don't want to be alone._ The voice in his head whispered faintly in disgust, the bitter feeling rising in his stomach. You _are a coward._

"So say, how about we all get back there and watch the rest of the matches and then hit the local karaoke bar?" Ninjin grinned. "My treat."

"Really?" Ichikaze chuckled. "Why though? The tickets turned out legit. You have no reason to do that."

"That's my birthday! I can do what I want!" he grinned in return. "Plus, knowing just how bad all of you guys sing, it will be well worth the money."

"Oh, you are so on!" Surprisingly, it was Renga who seemed the most excited for the whole thing. "I have been taking vocal classes and I am ready to dish out the best of mine! So bring. it ON!"

The rest of the group only laughed at the booming tone he said that with. The fact that he said it all with the straight face also did wonders to the hilarity of his statement. And as for him? He laughed together with them as Ninjin and Fujokusa-san started bickering like an old married couple with Renga singing some popular J-Pop song on their way to karaoke bar. It was only when they entered the room that he remembered one important thing.

He couldn't sing to save his life. Oh boy.

 **H**

"Alright, you're next, Midoriya!" Ninjin grinned as he handed Izuku a microphone. The eyes of the rest of the group all locked in on him, doing wonders to his already panicking heart. Should he make a run for it? He was fast. They wouldn't catch him. "Oh, don't be scared! I promise we aren't going to laugh at you!" He added after a brief thought. "For long, that is."

Fujokusa-san scoffed at the last part.

"After your performance, nothing can be as bad," the glasses wearing esper rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink. "Seriously, were you trying to sound like a strangled cat? I think I should sue you for emotional trauma."

"Oi! I was awesome and you know it!"

"Sorry? What did you say?" She put a hand near her ear mockingly. "I think I got a hearing damage."

"Now, now, let's not fight!" Aozora chipped in, using her hair to push the two apart. "We don't want to get banned from _another_ karaoke bar, now do we?"

"That was your fault!" Renga protested, pointing accusingly at the girls. "You just had to pick a fight with some older girls there without knowing they were the owner's daughters! Heck, me and Ninjin were just innocent bystanders!"

Aozora-san gave him a flat look.

"... You tried to flirt with both of them." She said in a deadpan tone. "You offered them to feel your muscles."

"And would succeed if it were not for you! Seriously, what was wrong with her hair? I think they looked awesome!"

"Wow, you actually saw them? I thought you were busy staring at her cleavage!"

"Man does what the man wants!"

"You are such a chauvinist!"

"I am not!" He exclaimed and pointed at her. "You are a chauvinist!"

As the two students engaged in a verbal war, Izuku watch all with the blank face before turning to the grinning wind manipulator. Ichikaze-san looked like it was nothing new to her and, to his growing horror, he understood that it wasn't. Just to be sure, however, he asked anyway. "Are they always acting like this?"

"Oh no," the girl shook her head and Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. "This is one of their 'civil' behaviors. Stick around long enough and you'll see just how much hormones can get to their heads."

"You say one more word and I will tear all your idol posters to pieces!"

"You don't have the balls!"

"I am a girl and have bigger balls than you can ever hope to!"

 _This is civil?!_ Izuku stared in bewilderment as both teens went on exchanging threats and insults back and forth all the while Ninjin and Aozora-san were having their own conversation. Izuku was pretty sure they were talking about how hard it is when the hair makes them look cool and mysterious but blocks most of their vision all the time. Weird... "Huh?"

"Come on, Midoriya, we can sing together if this makes you feel better!" The girl grinned, pulling him to the TV screen with the excited look in her eyes as she picked a song. To his growing horror, it was something he never heard before. As if she read his mind, the wind manipulator punched lightly on the shoulder with a grin. "Come on, don't be scared. Like my mom always says, singing isn't about sounding good. It is about singing horrible together!"

The girl then went on a brief story about how her father met her mother in a karaoke place. His mind, however, was occupied with different thoughts at that moment. A girl was holding his hand! Well, technically, it was his wrist. And he was pretty sure her grip was anything but gentle hold. Was she trying to make sure he didn't run away? But still... _She's holding my hand!_

"And after my mom smashed the beer bottle over his head, he asked her out!" She grinned as they both stood on the stage. "Alright, ready to go?"

 _No._

"Yes," he smiled weakly as the music started playing. He could still run away. His eyes darted to the door... It was blocked by Renga who looked positively sadistic. That son of a- "Eh?"

He was interrupted as Ichikaze-san took the lead, singing along as the screen flashed up. The lyrics appeared on the screen, the various background on the screen bright and clear. As he got ready to sing and humiliate himself, some deity above had some pity on him.

"Oh come on!" Ichikaze groaned as the lights went out, the dark swallowing them entirely. It didn't take long for someone from the staff to come in and explain that there was some blackout and they were closing early. Oh, and of course, they had no refunds for them either. "This sucks so much!"

"Look on the bright side, Ichi-chan!" Renga smirked as he rubbed the bruise on his cheek. "Some of us got to show how manly we are!"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Fujokusa-san asked suspiciously, noticing the wiggling of eyebrows the muscled teen sent her.

"Oh, don't play an innocent here. There is no shame in clinging to a big brave guy like myself," he grinned. "Who grabbed my arm so hard it almost got crashed? I didn't know you were afraid of the dark that much though."

An awkward cough interrupted the two as all eyes stared at the ginger-haired teen of the group scratching his cheek sheepishly. "Actually... That was me, man. Sorry?"

To his credit, Renga took it all quite well. More or less. Okay, he was lying to himself. The guy looked positively frozen as his right eye twitched. "Y-You bastard! My fantasy is ruined forever now!"

"What kind of fantasy are you talking about, you sicko?!"

"I knew that the chest was way too big to be hers!"

"WHAT?!"

"I don't have a big chest!" Ninjin protested even as he touched his chest awkwardly.

As their small group continued with their shenanigans, Izuku couldn't help but feel the genuine warmth grow and spread throughout his entire body. A small smile soon grew into a happy grin as he So this is what having friends your age and hanging out with them felt like? No looking down or veiled and open insults. Without any worry about being an outcast or different. Just doing something with no reason other than simple fun.

He certainly could get used to it.

 **HVH**

"DIE!"

"YOU WISH!"

The pink-haired freak dodged out of his blast's path before sliding towards him. How, in the name of the God, her acid could allow her to slide on sand like ice, he had no idea. But he wouldn't let that little idiot catch him by surprise. His reflexes were much sharper than hers and he easily could read her moves. Step aside and duck under her fist. Press a palm against her stomach and-

"Okay, I surrender!" she yelped in panic. "Don't blow me up!"

"Tsk," he scoffed. "You had enough?"

She only grinned in return.

"As if," she rested on the sandy bed. "After I have my break, we are doing it again, champ!"

"Who the fuck is a champ here?" he growled out. "I kicked your ass ten times in a row, you bitch!"

"Eesh, and you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Her eyes lit up suddenly. "I just totally need to meet your parents! I bet they have a bunch of blackmail material on you!"

How did the things come to this? It had been a week since he started training here. His waste disposal was coming along smoothly and her made some nice progress in building up his arsenal of tricks and attacks. As for the pinky over here, though, she only proved to be more of an annoyance. She messed around, completely ignorant of the hindrance she was. She would nag him with attempts to strike up a conversation without end. And her stupid blabbering about stuff like new J-Pop bands and some sissy actors and models were pissing him off.

And then she brought up Yuuei.

Turns out the girl was aiming for the same school as him. That was the last straw that broke the fucking giraffe's back. Or was it camel? Oh, fuck, whatever. The point was, someone like her, who wasted all her day on the beach messing around with guys like him, had no place there. Which was exactly what he told her straight to her stupid raccoon face.

"So?" the girl chirped in, her hands bawled into fists and eyes burning. "Ready for round eleven?"

The damn bitch just didn't take no for an answer. Somehow she got into her head that she could prove him wrong. And so she offered a simple bet. If, by the end of the school year, she didn't beat him even once or gave up before that, she would never show up in Yuuei. She wouldn't even take an entrance exam. And if she did, as ridiculous the idea was, he would tell her his name.

Any other time, he would never take such an idiotic bet. But the girl had a strong Quirk – acid was hardly harmless after all. Plus she was a willing test subject for his more advances techniques that he would feel no shame in trying out against. If he won – and he _would_ win – then the bitch would fuck off and leave him alone. And if, through some divine help or deal with the devil, she managed to beat him, he wouldn't lose much.

"Ready when you are," he scoffed and both of them took fighting stances. "Get ready to lose again. I will pummel you until you can't stand!"

She grinned cheekily.

"Oh, very bold, aren't you?" she chuckled. What the hell was she talking about? "You would have to buy me dinner first though."

Why the fuck would he do that? Eh, must be some girl stuff or something.

"Just shut up and fight!"

Her style heavily relief on speed and maneuvrability. Her use of Quirk, however, was beyond pathetic. While Acid was an interesting and dangerous power, the way she simply tried to splash him with it was just laughable. Someone else in his place would probably go easy on her. Slow down and tell her what she did wrong and where she could improve. But he wasn't one of those guys.

He wouldn't hold back.

He slapped her hands away. With a low kick he broke her balance even further before he pressed his hand against her back. The explosion went off, the cinders and ashes flying in the air. The girl herself was thrown away like a ragdoll, her clothes covered in scorch marks and tattered in several places. To her credit, she didn't break down into tears or even as much as sobbed. Instead, she just stoof up and glared at him.

"Those were my new clothes, you asshole!" All the lighthearted tone was gone and instead she looked pissed off. Almost as much as he was by the entire ordeal. "You fucking ruined them!"

"So?" he shrugged. "You asked to fight me yourself. If you are going to cry over some clothes, then you might stop wasting my time on you."

She chuckled.

"You don't mince words, do you?"

"Do I look like a fucking butcher to you?!" He exploded, figuratively speaking. "I am training to become the next top hero, the one who would surpass All Might! And I have no time to waste on someone who can't even take the profession seriously!"

"You know," she said in a surprisingly serious tone. "If you want to be the next All Might, you might wanna work a bit more on your attitude." She wasn't judging him though. Her tone was devoid of any criticism or mockery. Instead she sounded more like she was giving a simple fact. "You are already freaking strong. But heroes aren't just about smashing stuff and beating up guys. Trust me, All Might wouldn't be loved as much as he is today if he wore all black and red and kept talking about death and stuff. People love him because he gives them hope!"

He scoffed.

"You think I don't know that?" What was he, stupid? Of course, he could see that. It had been like this long before Quirks appeared. The way you were perceived by those around you was shaped by your own hands. And, in return, it shaped you as well. "So what do you say? That I should just go and let the public mold me into whatever they want? I would rather be hated for who I am than loved for something I am not!"

"That's a good point but..." she looked at him with some strange glint in her eyes. He didn't like it. "Is that the _real_ you?"

"The fuck?" he growled. "Don't even try to pull 'You hide your pain' speech or other retarded shit like that! I am not some emo teen or other fucktard like that!"

"I didn't say you were," she said. "You are an asshole and a jerk, that's true. But I don't think that anyone is that simple. What I'm saying though is that you don't strike me as someone who wants to be a hero just to break stuff and people."

"Yeah? What gave you that impression, raccoonface?"

"Because you want to be a hero," she smirked. "If you wanted to just destroy, then you would be out there as a villain. And instead you are here, cleaning up the beach and training to be a hero. Makes me wonder what exactly you really are."

"Fuck off," he growled. He had no time for a shrink. "Fight me or go home. I don't need anyone to psychoanalyze me."

"Okay," she answered and stretched out. "I think I had my portion of body-numbing pain for today. See you tomorrow!"

And just like that, she was gone. Left alone, Katsuki focused on his training. Stuff was turned into nothing. More of the beach was cleaned up. But the girl's words kept ringing in his head. He didn't have to explain himself to anyone. All he cared about was power. Power was more important to a hero than a heart. What could a man with a heart but no power do?

Nothing. Nothing but die in vain. Power was necessary to win. In the world of heroes, victory was everything. If you won, people were safe and villains were behind bars. And if you lost... Lives would be ruined. Hope would be lost. Trust in heroes would be shaken. People would die.

You couldn't defeat villains with some stupid speeches about friendship and hope. You couldn't beat them by the purity of your heart. Not all of them, at least. Because the majority of the criminals understood only one language: Violence.

He knew that he was right. He had no reason to feel or think otherwise.

And yet...

 _Why do I feel that I am not?_

* * *

 **Bakugou, Katsuki, Bakubetch! That's because you are. Well, partially. Honestly, in response to PipeDreamPrayer, I channel a bit of myself into Bakugou. Mostly, the idea of powers. I mean, lots of people say that it is important to have a good heart if you want to be a hero. But, while I agree with that, I also think that you need strength to do that.**

 **Also, did any of you feel uncomfortable or awkward or annoyed at how I wrote the beginning of conversation between Izuku and Ichikaze? If yes, then YES! I did it. I really wanted to play with the concept of Instant Love/Crush for a long time. In most stories that I have read, just how easy and fast some girl falls for the main guy always rubs me the wrong way and I wanted to picture how rescure doesn't always mean romance. She is grateful and saw Izuku from another side, sure. But that hardly cements her love for him.**

 **I dropped a cameo of a certain someone here in the chapter. Can you guess who?**

 **Now, for the announcement. Or rather, a couple of them:**

 **1) The story will have an end.**

 **As Coeur Al'Aran pointed out once, each and every story should have one. Not just following along the course of the canon storyline until the show ends. But making your own ending for the story. That way, I would feel that there is the completion to it instead of just running along and coming up with ways to keep the horse going.**

 **2) The story will diverge from the canon storyline and follow its own course.**

 **Not saying when or how, but there will be some MAJOR changes. Also, expect me to tweak some Quirks and concepts around. If you have any interesting ideas that you would like to share, don't be shy and do so!**

* * *

 _ **REVIEW RESPONSE:**_

 **Raventalon: Thanks, man. I try to use a bit more insight into the characters because writing gives us such great opportunity. WHat makes this that great is the opportunity to take you guys inside the characters' heads and show you the world through their eyes.**

 **toonlink111: Yup! Any other suggestions or objections?**

 **Maddog631: Yeah. Thought not as much expected as it just undermines the entire talks about hard work and all. I mean, anyone but Chosen One may work their asses off and yet he or she will still end up the best because destiny says so.**

 **GirugameshPanda: Thanks! Yeah, I never wanted to write an OC. That is, until NeoShadows showed me that you can write a good OC without making him or her a Gary Stu!**

 **Natsu is Awesome: Exactly. I wanted to try something new in this story. And Hanabira sure gets more than enough satisfaction out of beating the shit out of Midoriya in return. Symbiotes sure make nice weapons, don't they? And yours sounds like a really nice idea. Something I will certainly implement later in the story. As for Chosen One, I read the story and want to thank you for recommending it if only because of that quote above. I'll do my best!**

 **GNY-002 Gundam Sadalsuud: Thank you! I know, OCs might be offputting but I try my best to portray them as close to proper characters as I can, so any praise means a lot to me. If you liked those, just wait till he pulls out the big guns! Booyah!**

 **Lightningblade49: Yup, it would be. That is, if he got caught redhanded. Teachers heard but neither Izuku admits it nor teachers had anything more concrete. And yeah, emotional luggage doesn't go away that easily especially when Izuku suppresses his emotions.**

 **ebbuuu: Fast enough for you, champ?**

 **Sperance: Yes, he does have that problem. And didn't that bite him in the ass when he was given reality check on how much stronger Todoroki is? He will learn though. Trust me, he will.**

 **Symbi0sis: Stick around and wait to see. You will watch the fireworks!**

 **PipeDreamPrayer: Dude, you made me feel great with those reviews! I am glad you liked those ideas. And yeah, in my opinion, it does work like that in real world as well. We all are given limitations by the society that we follow and obey. And trust me, I am going to pick apart and give you an insight into many things in Canon that left me with questions and theories. I could write a lot more in here but I will keep this brief. Thank you for your reviews and I hope you found this chapter just as satisfying. If you want to talk more, we can always have a PM chat! See ya!**

 **Thank you guys for your reviews! I hope to get even more of those. Also, don't hold back on criticism. If there is something that you think needs improvement, then just tell me so.**

* * *

 **Till next update!**


	4. NOTE

**Hello, guys! Anyone still here?**

 **Well, if you are, I have decided to reboot the story. But since I didn't want to artificially increase the amount of reviews and misrepresent the popularity of it to any new readers, I decided to post it as a separate story. Hope you will love it and give me feedback on it!**

 _ **Survival of Soul**_

 _Many things are decided by a chance. A chance encounter with All Might set him on the path towards becoming the Greatest Hero that ever lived in one world. And in this world, the same chance set him on another path entirely. There is no future for him as a hero now. Not out in the open. Not in the light. But maybe the shadows needs heroes too. Provided he can control his power._

 **So, to all my old and new readers, hope you will enjoy the rebooted story just as much as the original one!**


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